The United Kingdom’s Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Guy Opperman, claims the new border control system of the European Union – the Entry-Exit System (EES) – will not be introduced all at once but rather gradually throughout a grace period of half a year.
The Minister has referred to this gradual introduction of the EES as a “soft launch”, the Independent reports, asserting that this way the EU would avoid “so much of the queuing, so many of the complications” at its borders with the UK.
He made such comments during a meeting of the UK’s European Scrutiny Committee held last Wednesday, on May 1, on the EU Entry/Exit and the UK border, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
We certainly have a six-month period where the implementation of this is effectively by way of a soft launch.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System is scheduled to become effective on October 6, 2024. For months now, UK officials have been worrying that the system will bring new complications for UK nationals travelling to the EU, causing long queues, delays, and traffic jams, while also impacting the economy of border counties.
The chief executive of Eurotunnel, Yann Leriche, has refuted such claims, noting that in total, the journeys would be extended by five to seven minutes, as the newly inserted technology at the borders would make the process go quickly and smoothly.
EES Mobile App Won’t Be Ready in Time for System’s Launch in October, Some Officials Claim
While UK officials believe that the EES app will help relieve the situation at the borders with the EU once the system is launched, many of them are afraid that the EES app won’t be ready on time, on October 6, this year.
Throughout the UK’s European Scrutiny Committee meeting of May 1, the Minister of State at the Home Office Tom Pursglove, has restated his claims that the app will not be ready on time.
My clear understanding is that the app will not be available at the point at which this, we anticipate, goes live in October. We would expect this to follow on accordingly.
He has also noted that the UK govt will continue pushing on the EU in order for the app to be ready on October 6, too.
The EU, however, has not revealed any details in this regard, simply claiming that the relevant authorities are still working on the development of the app. The same has also noted that the Member States have the right to op out of using the app, what some of them might choose to do.