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France listed among countries to delay full EES border check rollout
Official flexibility over new biometric border system ended last week
France and eight other Schengen countries have reportedly been given an indefinite delay in fully enforcing the EU's new biometric border system, despite temporary flexibility officially ending last week.
The countries are understood to have told the European Commission that they cannot yet enforce the Entry/Exit System (EES) fully without risking serious disruption at their borders.
France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland have reportedly been allowed to continue limiting biometric checks to “maintain border fluidity”, reports The Times.
No new deadline has been set, according to the report.
The commission has not commented on the subject.
Widespread delays
The development comes as French ferry operators warn that the technology needed for EES checks does not work well enough to process passengers quickly.
Jean-Marc Roué, president of Brittany Ferries, told French maritime publication Le Marin that passengers could not be expected to wait an additional three hours to simply leave the port after a nine-hour Channel crossing.
At Granville, Manche, passengers arriving from the Channel Islands face waits of up to three hours after disembarking, according to Olivier Normand, commercial director of Manche Îles Express.
He added the delays are causing English customers to abandon the routes.
Ferry operators blame problems with the software being used for the biometric checks, echoing concerns raised by multiple industry groups including Airports Council International (ACI), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), earlier this summer.
The reports underline the practical difficulties France faces following the September 6 deadline for temporary EES flexibility.
That flexibility had allowed border points to temporarily suspend the collection of fingerprints and facial images when queues became excessive. The EU had previously said it would not extend the arrangement.
Airlines and airports had warned that removing the flexibility could lead to serious disruption.
The International Air Transport Association called for the safeguards to remain available after September 6, saying airports were still experiencing operational and technical problems.
French airports have also warned of further problems during the autumn and Christmas travel peaks, with faults affecting self-service EES kiosks and their links with French PARAFE automatic passport gates.
The latest reported EU concession means British travellers may continue to see different levels of biometric checking depending on where they enter France and the wider Schengen area.
EES formally remains in operation, but the latest development suggests biometric checks will continue to be applied unevenly at French border crossings for the time being.
