British travellers will ‘face huge border queues for holidays to Europe next year’ as EU brings in post-Brexit facial scans and FINGERPRINT checks from May
- The European Union is expected to roll-out two new travel systems in 2022
- One will require people from non-EU nations to apply for authorisation to travel
- The other will keep track of non-EU travellers when they enter and exit the EU
- Peers have written to Priti Patel to warn the UK is ‘unprepared’ for the changes
British travellers heading to the EU on holiday next year are likely to face ‘sustained delays and disruption’ at the border because of new travel checks, peers have warned Priti Patel.
The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has written to the Home Secretary to tell her it is ‘very concerned’ about the potential impact of two new systems which are due to be rolled out by the bloc.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) will require non-EU citizens to apply for permission to travel ahead of time and will come with a cost of €7 (£6).
Meanwhile, a new Entry/Exit System (EES) will keep track of non-EU citizens when they enter and leave the EU using an automated process which will involve face scans and taking fingerprints.
The committee told Ms Patel that the new systems could have ‘serious consequences’ for British nationals but the UK ‘appears to be unprepared’.
British travellers heading to the EU on holiday next year are likely to face ‘sustained delays and disruption’ at the border because of new travel checks, peers have warned Priti Patel
The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has written to the Home Secretary to tell her it is ‘very concerned’ about the potential impact of two new systems which are due to be rolled out by the bloc
The peers said in their letter: ‘The Justice and Home Affairs Committee is very concerned indeed about the upcoming launch of two new EU border management systems.
‘They could have serious consequences in the UK and for the rights and liberties of UK citizens, and the UK appears to be unprepared.
‘Although the two systems are due to launch next year, several ethical, legal and logistical challenges remain unaddressed.’
The peers said that under the EES system travellers ‘will be required to undergo border checks that are likely to cause sustained delays and disruption’.
The committee said the UK ‘should take urgent steps to engage with the (European) Commission, support the operators and develop and consult on plans to raise the public’s awareness of the new arrangements’.
It added: ‘While we acknowledge that, recently, resources have been focussed on the immediate impact of withdrawal from the European Union and on the pandemic, we are profoundly concerned about the lack of attention paid to either ETIAS or the EES.’
The two new systems are part of an EU drive to boost border security across the bloc.
The ETIAS scheme will see non-EU citizens from 62 countries – including Britain – told to pay to enter the border-free Schengen zone.
EU officials say the new system will allow the bloc to pre-screen the information of travellers, including checking criminal records.
It will be similar to the US’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system – which allows citizens from 39 countries a 90-day visa-free stay.
However, the EU’s version will be valid for up to three years – and will count for multiple entries. It is expected to be in place by the end of 2022.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) will require non-EU citizens to apply for permission to travel ahead of time and will come with a cost of €7 (£6). A beach on the island of Ibiza is pictured
Meanwhile, EES is expected to be operational in the first half of 2022, potentially by May.
It will see all non-EU travellers told to use a self-service kiosk which will check biometric data against security databases.
The system will keep track of travellers each time they cross an external EU border.
The European Commission has said it will ‘register the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit’.