UK ministers have privately pressed Brussels to extend temporary exemptions to post-Brexit border rules, warning of summer travel chaos for British holidaymakers. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urged EU officials to adopt a more flexible approach to the Entry-Exit System (EES), which risks causing five-hour queues at Dover and key airports.
Calls for flexibility on EES border checks
In a meeting with EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Alexander called for the current short-term suspensions of EES rules—due to expire in September—to be extended. She also requested that Schengen zone countries be permitted to pause the system whenever queues form, rather than reactively addressing bottlenecks.
The EES, introduced in April, requires non-EU travellers—including Britons—to provide biometric data (fingerprints and a photo) on entry and exit to prevent overstays. First-time registrations add significant delays, while infrastructure and staffing shortages at some European airports compound the issue.
Emergency measures and ongoing concerns
The UK government has secured Lydden Hill motor racing track near Dover as an emergency holding site for vehicles if EES queues overflow. Alexander confirmed £20 million in funding to improve traffic flow and passport booth capacity at the port, stating: ‘We are doing everything in our power to keep holidaymakers and hauliers moving.’
Incidents have already occurred, including 100 EasyJet passengers stranded in Milan in April after three-hour EES queues caused them to miss their flight. The system has also struggled with technical flaws, such as misidentifying identical twins—one British woman was wrongly accused of overstaying after her twin’s travel data was incorrectly matched.
Delays to additional EU travel rules
The EU’s planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias), a £17 visa waiver for UK travellers, appears delayed. Originally slated for late 2024, its official website now states it is ‘currently not in operation’, suggesting a likely 2025 launch. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged ‘technical problems’ with EES, admitting it requires ‘quite a lot of work’.
An EU Commission spokesman said: ‘All efforts are being made to limit the impact on travellers from outside the EU.’ Airlines, including Ryanair, have warned of lengthy queues at 16 major airports, from Lisbon to Malaga, as peak summer travel begins this weekend.
