The European Union's new Entry/Exit System has caused long queues and missed flights at airports and ports across Europe [1, 2].
The rollout affects third-country nationals who must now undergo biometric processing. These delays are creating significant bottlenecks during a high-traffic bank-holiday travel period in May 2024 [1, 2].
Processing delays are most evident at French airports, German border points, and the Port of Dover in the UK [2, 3, 4]. A Port of Dover spokesperson said, "We are seeing unprecedented queues as EU border checks are implemented" [3].
The system requires facial recognition and fingerprinting for non-EU citizens to track movement across borders [1, 5]. While some reports suggest these requirements were dropped, other sources maintain that biometric data collection remains mandatory for all third-country nationals [1, 5].
Additional factors are compounding the delays. Train strikes in certain regions have exacerbated the congestion at transit hubs [5]. The increased processing time per passenger has led to hours-long waits for travelers attempting to enter or leave the bloc [1, 2].
Officials in France have expressed concern over the timing of the implementation. A spokesperson for the French airport authority said, "We call for a suspension of the EES rollout to avoid risky summer travel chaos" [2].
Political criticism has also emerged regarding the nature of the data collection. Clara Buenger, a lawmaker with the German Left Party, said, "Law-abiding travelers are subjected to boundless mass surveillance on their …" [4].
“We are seeing unprecedented queues as EU border checks are implemented.”
The transition to a digital, biometric border system represents a shift toward automated surveillance to enhance security and track overstays. However, the current infrastructure appears unable to handle peak travel volumes, suggesting a gap between the EU's policy goals and the operational capacity of its border checkpoints.
