Macron blocks end to EU passport stamps
British tourists threatened with queues at borders for an extra 18 months to avert Paris Olympics problems
British travellers face having to queue for visa stamps at EU borders for a further 18 months, as Emmanuel Macron seeks to delay new automated gates. The French government told the airline industry it aims to prevent the introduction of the biometric entry and exit system until August 2024. Officials are said to fear troubles at passport control could disrupt the Paris Olympics next summer. UK ministers are hoping the technology can alleviate border friction caused by Brexit.
BRITISH travellers are threatened with queues for visa stamps at EU borders for a further 18 months, as Emmanuel Macron seeks to delay the introduction of new automated gates.
The French government has told the airline industry that it aims to prevent the introduction of the forthcoming biometric entry and exit system (EES) until after August 2024. Officials at the Elysée are said to fear teething troubles at passport control could cause chaos at airports and disrupt the Paris Olympics next summer.
President Macron’s plan to delay the EES would adjourn what has been dubbed “the next big Brexit moment” in Whitehall. Ministers have been hopeful that the technology would alleviate the border friction caused by Britain’s exit from the EU.
The rollout has already been hit by a series of delays, however. The latest of these, moving the rollout from May to November this year, was greeted with some relief because of fears that a rush job would lead to misery this summer. However, a delay into the second half of next year will mean the vision of an end to manual checks and passport stamps remains out of reach for another holiday season.
It means British passport holders must line up in “all other passports” queues, which have snaked back to airport arrival gates during the summer.
The EES will use fingerprint and facial recognition technology to build a biometric profile. It will be applied to all arrivals in EU countries.
It is similar to the system that is already available for UK and EU arrivals at British airports – and allows visitors from the Continent to skip the longer “all other passports” queue.
Britons have not been able to benefit similarly since the UK exited the EU, however. British officials are pressing ahead with preparations on the assumption that the EU sticks to the November deadline.
On their first visit to the EU, citizens from outside the bloc would have photographs and fingerprints taken.
But Paris fears that because of the vast array of nationalities at the Olympics, the new system could be overwhelmed and do not want to take the risk beforehand. Mr Macron hailed the 2024 Paris Olympics as a “victory for France” when the capital was awarded the showpiece in 2017.
Some 10,500 Olympic participants and millions of visiting fans are expected to come to the country between July 26 and Aug 11.
A government source referred to the EES rollout as “the next big Brexit moment” and the UK would ensure that it would do everything to get Britain ready even if EU countries are not.
Brussels is desperate to put the new system in place over fears manual checks leave the EU vulnerable to terrorists travelling on passports. The EES is also viewed as a crucial step towards trade between the UK and EU moving more freely across the borders by using technology to cut out bureaucratic processes.
The UK hopes the fact that some French border controls are conducted on British soil means the EES can be rolled out on the current schedule.
Passports are checked in London for Eurostar travellers and Dover and Folkestone for those using ferries and the Channel Tunnel respectively.
Yet comparatively small problems have a significant impact, as was witnessed in Dover at the start of the summer holidays last year when travellers faced hours-long queues because a handful of French border guards did not turn up to work on time.