The Westminster Government has allocated £10.5m to facilitate a smooth transition for the Entry/Exit System (EES) set to be implemented by the European Union in November.
The EES mandates travellers from England and other non-EU countries to register their fingerprints and photograph at the border, which could result in long queues and disruptions.
The funding will be distributed to the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone, and Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International, with each receiving £3.5m to install necessary technology for the upcoming checks.
The EES aims to automate the registration of travellers from third countries crossing EU external borders, replacing manual passport stamping. Investments will be made to expedite EES processing at the Port of Dover and enhance technology and staff resources at Eurotunnel and Eurostar terminals to ensure a smooth transition.
Westminster Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood said: “Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative. 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.”
Simon Lejeune, Eurostar’s chief safety and stations officer, said: “To ensure our customers continue to enjoy a seamless Eurostar experience as we prepare for the implementation of EES, we have made substantial investments in our station infrastructure. With support from the government, we have enhanced our facilities and upgraded our technology to meet the new requirements. Eurostar will be fully prepared and compliant by November, ensuring a smooth transition for all our passengers.”
Emma Ward, chief operations officer at the Port of Dover said: “The funding is a welcome step towards the significant investments we are making to support government plans to prepare for the introduction of the EU’s EES scheme. We are doing all that we can to be ready with the facilities that will be used by French border officials operating the new system whilst we continue to work with the.”
Yann Leriche, CEO at Getlink (Eurotunnel), said: “Getlink started working two years ago on the adaptation of its terminal for the new EES regulation – the focus has always been on customer satisfaction, delivering the most competitive crossing time and experience at the border for non-EU travellers. The Group has invested more than £70m since the beginning of the process, designing and building a new dedicated EES Zone on each terminal, making sure that when the new regulation is introduced people will travel through the Channel Tunnel just as easily as they do today.”
