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Cliff Buddle

The appeal of a trip to Europe, to gaze at historic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, to ski in the Alps or sunbathe on a Greek beach, is well known to travellers. One of the attractions has long been the ease with which borders can be crossed.
But while the war in Iran has disrupted travel around the world, a new source of potential woe for visitors to Europe has just kicked in. Non-EU nationals must now register their biometric data on arrival. This controversial move has been almost a decade in the making.
It should be a natural step, embracing technology, making border control in Europe digital and ending the need for the time-honoured practice of stamping passports.
But the implementation of the new system has not been straightforward. It has led to long queues, delays, confusion and chaos. Some passengers have even missed their flights while waiting at border control.
Airline industry representatives are warning that unless there is greater flexibility, allowing the system to be suspended if overwhelmed, Europe’s reputation as an easily accessible and efficient tourist destination will be damaged. That image is already being chipped away at.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on April 10, after a phased introduction that began in October. Visitors to 25 of the 27 European Union member states, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are covered. The scheme is not being used in Ireland or Cyprus.
Non-EU citizens are subject to the new procedures, which are intended to allow their movements in the region to be better tracked. There are some exceptions, such as for people with a long-stay visa or EU residency permit. The aim is to strengthen security and immigration control. But it is already coming at a cost.
The new arrangements require visitors to log their facial image and fingerprints at dedicated kiosks at airports and other border checkpoints. Passport details must also be recorded and, sometimes, questions need to be answered. This should then allow automated entry.
My own experience with the system has been mixed. My first encounter with it at Malaga, Spain, was smooth. Access to a kiosk was quick and the process only took a couple of minutes. I wondered what all the fuss was about.
But a trip to the Algarve in Portugal last week was more troublesome. There were longer queues and waiting times, with technical issues that need to be resolved. The camera taking the facial image only seems to work if there is a lone person in the frame. But it also picks up the people queuing in the background. One woman tried to take a photograph of herself multiple times before giving up.
I thought, having already registered at Malaga, that my next use of the system would be even faster. It only needed to confirm my details. A facial scan is supposed to be sufficient.
But the process appeared to be the same, only this time it didn’t work. I made numerous attempts to log my fingerprints. None of these were deemed acceptable. Eventually, the screen instructed me to head to border control.
So after all that, I needed to line up again to hand my passport over to an immigration officer. I joined a crowd of irritated British tourists who had all also failed the digital test. The Brits are a problem because, post-Brexit, we are non-EU nationals and visit popular European destinations in large numbers.
Budget airline Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary, lamenting the “significant disruption” for visitors, even suggested the new system was the EU’s revenge for Brexit. He told The Times this month that the new arrangements were “a shambles.”
The system only caused me a minor delay at Faro Airport. Others were not so lucky. Some travellers to Geneva for the skiing season last winter had to wait three or four hours to get through border control. Long waits have also been experienced elsewhere.
Worse was to come this month. Registration is needed not only when entering a country, but also when leaving. Delays can lead to travellers missing their flight.
This was the fate of passengers booked on a Ryanair flight from Milan to Manchester on April 16. Others, on another of the airline’s flights, from Tenerife to the UK, also failed to make it onto the plane. An easyJet flight from Milan left passengers behind, too.
Some of the stranded tourists were left to book expensive alternative flights home, via third destinations, and are now seeking refunds.
There are concerns about the potential chaos the new system might cause over the peak summer period.
Greece, which welcomes 5 million visitors from the UK every year, has already broken ranks. The country’s national tourism organisation revealed last week it will exempt British tourists from the requirement to register
their biometric data to ensure “a smoother and more efficient arrival experience.”
This is a sensible step, with floods of British holidaymakers due to arrive at the country’s small island airports. Other countries will be considering similar departures from the system as removing the risk of queues and chaos will make them more attractive destinations.
The European Commission insisted EES was “working very well” during the early days of full operation and stated that in the overwhelming majority of member states there were no issues with it. It accepted there had been technical issues in a few places which were being tackled.
But this is little consolation to those who have endured long delays at airports or missed their flights.
There is a need for authorities to show some flexibility, at least until the new system is bedded in and working efficiently. Technical glitches must be fixed. Sufficient staffing levels are required to help passengers navigate the requirements of the dreaded kiosk and to man the conventional border booths when it doesn’t work.
Europe is a joy to visit. The region’s diverse history, culture, food and natural environment offer so much to visitors, whatever their tastes. Hundreds of millions head there every year for that reason.
Hopefully, the disruption encountered so far is down to teething problems that will be sorted out by the summer. But visitors from outside the EU should ensure they allow plenty of time when travelling to the airport and keep themselves informed of developments.
By the time I left Faro, the authorities appeared to have decided that discretion was the better part of valour. I was prepared for long queues, but found all the kiosks closed. Everyone was directed straight to the human beings manning passport control. Sometimes, the old ways are best.


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Opinion

Making border control digital should be a natural step. But it has so far led to long queues, delays, confusion and chaos


Making border control digital should be a natural step. But it has so far led to long queues, delays, confusion and chaos.


Britain

Greece

European Council

European Union

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

New entry system for non-EU residents is chipping away at Europe’s image

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Making border control digital should be a natural step. But it has so far led to long queues, delays, confusion and chaos

Making border control digital should be a natural step. But it has so far led to long queues, delays, confusion and chaos