The European Commission and stakeholders in the European air sector met on Tuesday 7 July to address the concerns of airlines and airports over delays linked to the roll-out of the Entry/Exit System (EES) (see EUROPE 13900/22).
Although it took note of the sector’s concerns, the Commission has not changed its position. According to it, a total suspension of the mechanism, even temporary, would be “technically impossible and unjustified”, a spokesperson said. The reason is that it is essential to “constantly reconcile entries and exits”, failing which the travellers would find themselves blocked at borders or considered to have overstayed on their next crossing.
Although the official acknowledges that collecting biometric data (fingerprints and photos) is relatively time-consuming, he maintains that the automatic and simultaneous verification of documents and alphanumeric data (names, dates of birth), for its part, “does not take any extra time”.
Thus, the current delays would not stem from the “central system”, but from airport infrastructure and a “snowball effect” when too many flights arrive simultaneously.
The spokesperson therefore insists that the industry “invest more to help national authorities on the ground find the best ways to organise passenger flows”.
In return, the Commission would point to a new support offer addressed directly to the sector: obtaining “additional funding” secured through the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI). This envelope is intended to “substantially support Member States” in modernising their infrastructure, notably through the purchase of electronic gates (e-gates) and the deployment of automation tools, such as the mobile app for pre-registering data.
For this summer, the Commission also recalled that the current EES rules already include “flexibility measures”, making it possible to suspend the recording of biometric data temporarily in the event of excessive waiting times (see EUROPE 13845/7).
Even so, it refuses to extend those derogations. “For the time being, we have no request and no objective to consider a possible extension beyond September”, the spokesperson said firmly, adding that “all resources are being mobilised to make this summer period a success”.
Since its full roll-out, the EES has recorded nearly 110 million journeys and intercepted 1,100 security threats. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)