EU member states can keep suspending EES border checks at busy crossings until the end of 2026, ABTA has confirmed. The planned fourth-quarter launch of the ETIAS visa waiver has also been dropped.
Speaking at the ABTA Travel Convention in Madeira today, Director of Public Affairs Luke Petherbridge said ABTA research showed fewer than half of Brits who have travelled to Europe have been through EES since its phased rollout began a year ago.
Most of those saw little disruption, he said. Half got through the border in under half an hour, and 87% waited less than an hour.
Contingency measures in the legislation already allowed checks to be suspended when queues built up, up to 6 September. Luke said the Commission has now confirmed it will not take infringement proceedings against countries that stand down checks for the rest of the year. At least nine countries have raised concerns that the system still can’t cope.
Checks can only be paused at specific border points where significant queues are building, not across a whole country. “We need to see a continued pragmatic approach,” he said.
ABTA wants the contingency measures extended into 2027 and, if necessary, changes to the legislation so the rollout can be completed smoothly.
ABTA’s Holiday Habits research, with responses from more than 2,000 people, found 6% are less likely to visit the EU because of the checks. However, the majority said EES wouldn’t affect their plans.
Missing exit records
Luke warned that anecdotal evidence suggests a growing number of travellers are being registered on arrival but not on departure when checks are suspended. That makes it look as though they have overstayed in the EU, which can cause problems on their next trip.
Travellers can ask the relevant national border authority to correct their record, said Luke. “What we are hearing is that Border Guards will correct this the next time you go through,” he added.
No launch date for ETIAS
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS visa waiver) was due to launch this quarter for UK citizens and other non-EU nationals. However, the date has been removed from all official EU websites.
“There is now no official launch date for ETIAS,” said Luke.
He reminded agents that ETIAS cannot be bought yet, even though more than 150 websites already claim to sell it.
