Nine European countries have been granted continued flexibility over the implementation of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), according to reports.
The Times says France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland have been allowed to delay implementing the full EES scheme.
The EES, which requires non-EU travellers, including UK holidaymakers, to have facial images and fingerprints recorded when entering the Schengen area, was introduced in April.
During the summer, countries were allowed to pause biometric checks to alleviate long queues during busy periods, but those measures ended on 6 September.
However, according to reports, the nine countries told the European Commission they were not going to enforce the new controls until the technology and systems were working correctly.
The Telegraph said officials have allowed the countries to delay stricter enforcement because of continuing operational difficulties.
It said technical failures are still affecting the system’s facial recognition and fingerprint databases, forcing border officials to revert to manual passport checks when problems occur.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Eurostar Chief Executive Gwendoline Cazenave said: “The phrase is ‘maintaining border fluidity’.”
Travel industry leaders have repeatedly warned that EES was not ready when it was introduced and have raised concerns about the potential impact on queues and waiting times at key gateways used by UK travellers.
Last week, Advantage Travel Partnership CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said said the EES was not fit for purpose.
