What's happened
The EU's Entry Exit System (EES), requiring biometric data from non-EU travelers, has been postponed from its planned launch on November 10, 2024. Concerns from France, Germany, and the Netherlands about system readiness have led to a phased rollout expected in 2025, with potential changes to biometric requirements.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Simon Calder in The Independent, the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council revealed that the EES will now be rolled out in phases, with a pilot program expected in 2025. Ylva Johansson, the EU Home Affairs Commissioner, acknowledged the need for a gradual approach due to concerns about system resilience. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Germany, France, and the Netherlands cited unpreparedness of their computer systems as a reason for the delay. The Guardian noted that this is the third postponement of the EES, originally scheduled for implementation in 2023, reflecting ongoing logistical challenges and political tensions among member states.
How we got here
The EES was designed to streamline border control for non-EU citizens, including UK travelers, by collecting biometric data. Originally set for implementation in 2023, it has faced multiple delays due to technical and logistical challenges raised by key EU member states.
More on these topics
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country primarily located in Western Europe and partly in the Caribbean, forming the largest constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe. Covering an area of 357,022 square kilometres, it lies between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south.
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
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Ylva Julia Margareta Johansson is Swedish politician who has been serving as European Commissioner for Home Affairs since 2019.