UK Government Allocates £10.5 Million to Prepare for New EU Digital Border System

The United Kingdom government has announced a £10.5 million investment to help prepare for the upcoming European Union digital border system, known as the Entry/Exit System (EES). According to a government statement, this funding will be directed towards supporting the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone, and Eurostar at St Pancras, with the aim of preventing long queues for travellers.

The EES, set to be introduced by the EU in the autumn, will require passengers from the UK and other non-EU countries to register at the border and airports. This registration process will involve taking fingerprints and photographs.

"In order to reduce the risk of queuing and disruption, the government is taking action with this funding to help ports to install the necessary EES technology and complete work to get their sites ready for the checks coming into force," the UK government stated.

Each of the ports mentioned will receive £3.5 million in financial support.

Highlighting the government's efforts to avoid long queues, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood emphasized that no one wants to see delays at UK ports. She stressed that this funding is part of the government’s strategy to ensure that UK borders are well-prepared for the forthcoming changes.

"Since coming into government, we have been reviewing plans and closely supporting ports to make sure they have the right processes in place so that EES registration can be smooth and queue times kept to a minimum," Minister Greenwood said.

Additionally, Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra commented that the UK is working diligently with the European Commission, member states, and ports to minimize any potential disruptions for Britons traveling to Europe.

Emma Ward, Chief Operations Officer at the Port of Dover, welcomed the UK government’s decision, describing the funding as a significant step towards supporting the government's plans to prepare for the implementation of the EU’s EES scheme.

However, Britons traveling to EU countries after the EES comes into effect may still face significant delays, chaos, and confusion, as warned by the specialist travel association Aito. The association cautioned that the introduction of EES could lead to long queues and a high level of disarray. To mitigate these issues, Aito has called for the implementation of "contingency plans."

By fLEXI tEAM