Key facts
- France and the UK will increase staffing at border controls to address potential travel chaos.
- The EU's entry/exit system (EES) requires fingerprinting and facial recognition checks.
- Disruption is anticipated at Channel crossings during the upcoming summer holiday season.
- The UK has allocated £20 million to enhance processing capacity and reduce wait times.
- French border police have offered to deploy additional officers on UK soil at Dover, Folkestone, and St Pancras.
France and the United Kingdom have agreed to bolster staffing at border controls in anticipation of significant travel disruptions stemming from new EU fingerprinting and facial recognition requirements. Warnings of "utter chaos and miles of tailbacks" have been issued by MPs unless the EU's entry/exit system (EES) is rectified or checks are suspended.
The EU has rejected calls for a suspension of the EES. However, French officials have reportedly assured UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander that additional personnel will be deployed to mitigate queues at key crossing points. Alexander announced £20 million in UK government funding aimed at increasing vehicle processing capacity and reducing wait times.
Alexander stated that her French counterpart, Philippe Tabarot, acknowledged the necessity of high staffing levels for smoother summer journeys. French border police have offered to place more officers on British soil to enhance staffing at passport booths in Dover, Folkestone, and London's St Pancras station, though the exact commitment from France remains unconfirmed.
According to the Department for Transport, biometric kiosks for fingerprint and facial scans are not functioning correctly, leading French authorities to manually register car passengers while awaiting new equipment. Alexander has also communicated holidaymakers' concerns to the EU Commissioner for Transport to encourage their efforts in reducing delays.
The Port of Dover experienced four-and-a-half-hour delays during the May half-term due to EES checks and anticipates a nearly 50% increase in vehicle traffic this summer, with approximately 12,000 cars daily expected next weekend. The EU has identified 20 "difficult spots" caused by the new checks but has dismissed requests to suspend the system, which was introduced in phases starting last October to enhance border security.