European Union delays introduction of new border check system

The European Union has again delayed introducing a fingerprint and facial scan check system for non-EU citizens at all EU borders.

It was due to be rolled out on 10 November, but has been pushed back yet again after Germany, France and the Netherlands said their systems were not ready.

Meanwhile, sources have told the BBC that there has been no live testing of the EU’s software on the UK’s border systems.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said there was not a new timetable for its implementation, but it would be phased in.

“It’s clear that we’re not going to be ready for the 10 November,” said Ms Johansson, adding: “We will be going for a phased approach, step by step.”

This delay is the latest in a long line of setbacks for the system, which was originally meant to be introduced in 2022.

The Entry Exit System (EES) will mean non-EU citizens, including people from the UK, need to register biometric data at any EU border to get in rather than stamping passports.

The idea is to make a digital record linking passports to biometric data. Passengers will be given hand held devices, so they can register their details in their cars.

The EES will apply to road borders, airports, ports, train stations – including Eurostar services – and at all other external EU borders.

The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council will meet next week to discuss the rollout of the EES.

A spokesperson for the German interior ministry told the Reuters news agency the three countries were not ready to bring in the system because the EU agency in charge of it, EU-Lisa, had not yet made it stable enough.

The French interior ministry told Reuters EES must be prepared properly.

Earlier this month, a European Commission spokesperson said that “the implementation of a system like EES is a complex operation and delays cannot be completely excluded”.

The checking system was originally due to start operating in 2022 but has faced a series of delays.

It was rescheduled for May 2023, and then the end of 2023, before a date was set for November 2024.