Immigration Controls: EU Countries
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the European Commission, (b) individual European Union Member States and (c) representatives of the travel industry on the implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System; what representations her Department made to facilitate the flexible implementation of that system for British travellers; and what contingency planning is being undertaken to mitigate the risk of delays, congestion and disruption during peak travel periods following the full implementation of the EU/Entry/Exit System.
Answered by Alex Norris
EES is an EU scheme, and EU member states are responsible for its implementation.
The UK Government has been working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for the introduction of EES. We continue to encourage a pragmatic approach to implementation and maximum use of the flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK.
Government has supported the UK ports with juxtaposed border controls to ensure they have the right technology and processes in place to make EES registration as smooth as possible. In August 2024 the UK government provided Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Port of Dover £10.5m of funding, to be spent on more kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and keep wait times to a minimum.
The Department for Transport and Home Office continue to support the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF), who have tried and tested plans in place to manage disruption to the road network in Kent.
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