Foreign secretary Lord David Cameron expressed his concerns yesterday (21 May) that the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) could cause major disruption for travellers at the Port of Dover, as well as with the operation of the Eurostar train service between the UK and Europe.
In his meetings with EU ministers, Lord Cameron said “after Ukraine, this will be point two or three”.
With MPs also suggesting that queues at Dover could stretch to 14 hours, what could be the knock-on effects on trade in goods and services, not least tourism, and how exactly is the EES going to work?
The EES
The European Commission explains that the EES will be an “automated IT system for registering travellers from third-countries, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross an EU external border”.
Those travelling will be required to register biometric data, as well as their name and passport details, in person at Dover or St Pancras stations – where the Eurostar services operate – to be allowed to enter or exit the EU.
The process replaces the current manual stamping of passports, which the EU argues is time-consuming and fails to offer “reliable data on border crossings” or “systematic detection of over-stayers”. The new measures aim to “prevent irregular migration and help protect the security of European citizens”.
The EES has already been delayed on four separate occasions, with the latest announced in April 2023 following concerns from European member states about potential delays.
Tourism and travel
Each year, 1.3m tourist vehicles pass through the Port of Dover, making for a total of over six million passengers. Tourism and travel, a major service export, contributed an estimated £237.1bn to the UK economy last year, according to Statista.
That means any disruption to tourism could have potentially major effects on UK service exports.
The councils of Kent and Ashford suggested recently that tourist queues could reach 14 hours in length, a claim echoed by MPs.
EES is not the last new system that tourists will have to contend with. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is due to come into force next year, and will require the purchase of an electronic document for short stays in the EU.
These measures will not only apply to tourism, but also to business travel, which contributes £27.5bn to the UK economy, according to the CBI. In Europe as a whole, the value of business travel in 2019 was US$377.2bn.
Supply chain knock-on
There could be knock-on effects elsewhere.
In January, the BBC reported that the Port of Dover, together with ferry companies including Irish Ferries and P&O, delivered written evidence to the European Scrutiny Committee.
This evidence stated:
“[There is an] existential risk facing critical supply chains, businesses, communities, and the tourism economy of nations on both sides of the Channel from the current lack of appropriate regime for the introduction of the EU EES.”
The effect on the ferry business at Dover could be “severe”, it said, as the EES would not be able to manage current volumes of passengers in cars and coaches.
Chair of the committee, Sir William Cash, said the written evidence “paints an alarming picture” of the effects of EES implementation as currently planned.
Lord Cameron told the committee on Monday (20 May) that he was “really worried about there being long delays for people.”
Freight
Some industry bodies have suggested that the EES could also hit freight movements.
Josh Fenton, policy manager for trade, customs and borders at Logistics UK, said in January that the organisation was worried about potential delays under the planned system.
“Logistics UK is concerned that EES in its current form, if implemented, will cause friction, disruption and delays for UK and EU freight utilising gateways with juxtaposed borders with significant negative consequences for logistics operators, supply chains and UK and EU economies.”
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