French officials warned that the new EU border controls on British tourists could cause civil unrest in airports.
After October 6, all non-EU passport holders must have their fingerprints and pictures taken when they arrive in the EU for the first time.
Entry-Exit System, or EES as it is called in the new policy, has caused serious concern about airport passenger queues. Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton said recently that he was “really concerned” about “long delays”. This is for passengers catching Eurostar trains in London or ferries out of Dover.
Patrice Vergriete warned that serious operational issues could arise.
Officials in France have echoed this concern, as they are increasingly concerned that “serious operations problems” may lead to backlogs for holidaymakers resulting in a collapse of public order.
Patrice Vergriete (French Transport Minister) told aviation executives in France last week that he was “fearing problems”. He added: “We’re aware of the risks, especially with regard to passenger fluidity.” This is a challenging issue and we cannot get it wrong.
He claimed that the department had “alerted the interior minister” to their concerns, but that the preparations for Olympics took priority.
Vergriete stated: “We are not confident about the police technology and numbers.” There will be severe operational consequences.
He said that disruption to the public order could not be excluded in case of long delays or technology failure.
Non-EU citizens who enter the EU by air will be required to register with EES at either a kiosk, or directly with a border agent upon arrival.
Cameron expressed concerns over the technology behind automated check-in points following recent IT problems
Eurostar passengers who take ferries in Dover, or catch the Eurotunnel Shuttle at Folkestone, Kent, can complete the formalities at British soil.
Cameron warned last week of the disruptions to passengers. He said, “I believe we’ve made progress but there are still some major choke points at Dover St Pancras and I am really concerned about long delays.”
I think it is clear that technology needs to be tested and improved.
Vergriete stated that he would advocate a delay in the introduction of controls, but did not think the European Commission would be on board.
French officials lobbied against the system being in place for the Olympics and IT issues delayed the start of the new system.
L’Union des Aeroports Francais (which represents airports across the country) is also worried that there won’t be enough kiosks to collect biometric information by October. The Paris airports are particularly unprepared due to the Games.
Kent officials have said previously that drivers heading to Europe will face queues up to 15 hours long in Kent when the EES is implemented.
Ashford Borough Council wrote to the European scrutiny committee of MPs in January, warning that a “reasonable worst case scenario” could result in gridlock and “welfare issues for passengers”.
Getlink, the company that operates the Channel Tunnel in Kent, is building a processing area to handle passports issued by non-EU countries. The new terminals will require passengers to leave their vehicles and register their biometrics. Once completed, they will only be able proceed to the French border booths.
St Pancras International is currently installing 49 kiosks for the processing of passengers.
Holders of non-EU Passports will be directed by the station to the terminals for the additional check before they can proceed to existing check-in area
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