Some of Europe’s most popular destinations have reportedly been given permission to further delay full implementation of the EU’s new biometric border checks.
Passenger queue to clear border control at a European control point.A number of countries appear to have tacitly been given permission not to fully implement EES
The Times reports France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland have all told they will not enforce the EU Entry-Exit System (EES) until the technology and systems that underpin it are working correctly.
It comes after a set of contingency measures, which have been available to Schengen nations over the summer to alleviate EES bottlenecks, were due to be withdrawn earlier this month – six months after the full EES rollout, which itself followed a soft launch in October 2025.
EES requires arrivals into EU nations from third-countries, like the UK after Brexit, to submit to biometric checks; these include a facial scan and having their fingerprints taken.
To date, the EU has been steadfast in its insistence there will be no grace period ahead of the coming winter season and in the months to follow.
However, The Times reports that on this occasion, the EU has quietly given the likes of France, Greece, Italy and Portugal permission to pause implementation in the interest of what Eurostar chief Gwendoline Cazenave described to the paper as “maintaining border fluidity”.
Despite the European Commission’s insistence EES has “broadly worked well” over the summer, a spokesperson said the commission was in “close and constructive contact” with certain member states, and conceded “some adjustments” may be needed at some border crossing points.
The industry has been pushing for respite for several months. As the 6 September deadline approached, Abta’s Director of Public Affairs, Luke Petherbridge, said the association would continue to push for the emergency measures and “flexibilities” to be available beyond September.
Other have been more blunt; Ryanair said the EU’s handling of EES had been “a shambles from start to finish” while Holiday Extras said the decision to let the emergency measures lapse was “the clearest sign yet” that the system “had failed”.
Problems identified by Ryanair include malfunctioning EES kiosks, lengthy processing times and staff shortages. Holiday Extras chief Matthew Pack, meanwhile, said the challenges would make it difficult for the EU to rollout its Esta-style visa waiver in Q4, as planned, as it is reliant on EES working correct.
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