Hopes that other European countries would follow Greece’s example and suspend the implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for British travellers — in order to avoid long queues and delays at airports this summer, at a time when most European airports are already under strain from the volume of passengers they are required to handle — have been dismissed by the European Union.
The EU has denied recent media reports claiming that it had granted permission to countries to suspend the collection of biometric data (photographs and fingerprints) from non-EU arrivals in order to reduce waiting times.
However, a spokesperson for the European Commission told the French newspaper The Connexion that the Commission is in contact with Greece regarding the matter.
“As a general rule, the EES provides flexibility regarding the registration of biometric data until after the summer of this year. The suspension of biometric data collection is possible at specific border crossing points and for a limited period of time in cases of exceptional circumstances leading to excessive waiting times,” he added.
Countries have the right to suspend checks for up to six hours whenever queues build up, until July, and the EU has suggested that this could be extended until September.
According to a report by the newspaper The Connexion, the EU spokesperson said that no general exemptions are foreseen for nationals of specific third countries, such as the United Kingdom, or for prolonged periods of time.
Greece, however, has clarified that it is exempting British travellers from the biometric screening process this summer, and possibly for a longer period, unless the EES is improved and waiting times are reduced.
There were reports that Italy and Portugal were planning to follow Greece’s example. However, the EU spokesperson told The Connexion that “the Portuguese and Italian authorities have confirmed that they do not intend to exempt any nationality.”
At the same time, strong pressure has been placed on Spain’s central government by the Canary Islands to suspend the implementation of the European Union’s EES system, at least for British travellers, following Greece’s decision. However, there have been no further developments in this direction.
