The UK Government and European Commission have agreed to work together to minimise disruption for holidaymakers amid concerns that new EU border checks will cause lengthy delays at Dover this summer.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas on Monday to discuss the impact of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which requires non-EU travellers entering the Schengen Area to provide biometric data.
Following the meeting, the Department for Transport (DfT) said both sides had agreed to work ‘constructively’ to ensure journeys across the border are as seamless as possible during the summer and autumn.
Heidi Alexander said on Tuesday (14 July): “We want everyone to have the summer holidays they deserve – and yesterday’s meeting shows everyone is pulling in the same direction.
“I was reassured that the EU Commissioner for Transport understood the concerns of holidaymakers and recognised the need for us to work together to make sure journeys are as seamless as possible during the busiest travel period of the year.”
The meeting follows the Government’s announcement on Sunday of £20 million in new funding for Kent to increase passport booth capacity at Dover and improve vehicle processing, on top of £10.5m already invested in Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar. The Government said the funding would help reduce waiting times and ease congestion.
However, concerns remain about the potential impact of EES checks, with Kent MP Sir Roger Gale warning there could be queues of up to 12 hours at Dover and Eurotunnel during the peak summer getaway, and saying he was worried someone could die.
He told The Times: “If you have elderly people, children and dogs in 12-hour queues with no lavatory facilities, inadequate water supplies, somebody will die, somebody will have a heart attack. I’m not overegging it,” he said.
“This is the stark reality. How do you get an ambulance through traffic jams like that?”
The Transport Secretary dismissed Sir Roger’s concerns, saying: “This kind of scaremongering helps no one, and it fails to take account of the extensive preparations that have been underway for months.”
Port of Dover Chief Executive Doug Bannister told the Press Association the port had done ‘absolutely everything’ possible to prepare for the summer rush.
He said it was disappointing that Dover’s new EES processing facility, built as part of a £40m investment, is not being used for cars because the necessary EU technology has not yet been switched on, and last week he said passengers faced miles-long queues.
But he said he was ‘really grateful for all the support’ from the Government following Monday’s meeting.
