EU delays biometric border scheme just five weeks before planned introduction

Friday, 11 October 2024 at 16:36

The EU has again postponed its biometric border scheme just weeks before its planned introduction

The bloc's delayed entry-exit system (EES) has been postponed again – ahead of its scheduled rollout on November 10th.

The scheme would have required third-country nationals - including visitors from Jersey and Guernsey - to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics on entry to the EU at every border entry point to the Schengen zone, including St Malo.

But the European Commission has put off the programme again until an unspecified new date in 2025 after concerns from the travel industry around delays at borders.

The broadcaster Euronews said the announcement was made by Ylva Johansson, the EU's Commissioner for Home Affairs, following a meeting of EU interior ministers at which France, Germany and the Netherlands expressed concerns that preparations for the project were not sufficiently advanced:

"10th of November is no longer on the table," she said, adding, "I hope we can start as soon as possible but there's no new timeline so far."

The introduction of the EES has been repeatedly delayed.

Dating back to 2016 it is designed to modernise checks at the EU's external borders, replacing the traditional rubber stamping of passports.

All EU member states, plus four Schengen-associate countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – are due to take part in the scheme, with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus and Ireland.