France one of countries officially 'not ready' for EES - delay expected
Germany and The Netherlands also say they will not be ready for new new biometric border check system
The EES system will involve new checks at the EU’s borders
Hayk_Shalunts / Shutterstock
The EU’s new digital borders system – EES – is now not expected to launch on the planned day of November 10, after three countries, including France, told the EU they are not ready.
At a meeting of the EU’s Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council today the European commissioner overseeing EES, Ylva Johansson, reported to ministers that the current target date will have to be changed linked to the countries’ lack of readiness.
A possibility of ‘phasing’ the scheme in, by at first only implementing it at certain border points and not others, would also be desirable, she said. However, she said it is as yet unclear if this is possible without legal amendments.
Further discussions of these points will be held next week at a meeting between the commissioner and the management board of the agency EU-Lisa, which is developing the central IT system for EES.
JHA Council chairman Sándor Pintér said in a press conference that the council supported "phasing in". "This could be a way of taking steps forward - and if there are teething problems of the IT system, they will come to light as soon as possible, so the whole system can be operable as soon as possible."
EES – the European Entry/Exit System – will log entries and exits to and from the Schengen area by non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who do not live in the bloc, at external border points such as airports, ports and Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals. A database entry will be created for each traveller, with entry and exit days, passport information, and a facial image and fingerprints.
Passport stamping is to be phased out and the system will automatically check respect of the 90/180-days rule.
Has the date definitely been put back?
November 10 had been announced as the target day by Commissioner Johansson, two months ago in a speech to EU-Lisa.
No formal decision was taken today – the item was not even on the Council’s agenda – but today’s official confirmation of the three countries’ objections, and the commissioner’s comments, mean the latest target the EU had been working towards - implementation everywhere as of November 10 - is now not considered practical.
Speaking at the press conference, Ms Johansson said: "It's clear it's not going to be November 10. Three member states have said they are not ready... We also have some concerns when it comes to the resiliance of the system."
She went on to add: "November 10 is no longer on the table but I hope we can start as soon as possible, but there's no new timeline so far. It also depends on the legal assessment we will do [regarding the feasibility of 'phasing in'].
"The three member states who have now declared they are not ready yet are Germany, France and The Netherlands."
The situation should become clearer after next week's meeting.
The Commission has been overseeing the scheme, working closely with EU-Lisa on the practical issues and communicating with the EU member states.
The Council of the European Union is also involved in certain high-level decisions, for example a year ago it endorsed a revised "timeline" for the scheme to start in autumn of 2024 (it has been put off several times from an initial target in early 2024). Its input may also be needed to confirm a decision over 'phasing in'.
If EES launches this autumn, but after November 10, it will still be broadly in line with the agreed timeline, but if it moves forward to 2025 that would be seen as a more major change.
Why are the countries not ready?
France has not publicly commented, but Germany has claimed the main problem lies with the central computer system which, it stated recently, “still lacks the necessary stability and functionality”.
In France, an airports body and the management of Normandy’s ports have both told The Connexion about concerns over a lack of sufficient opportunities for testing equipment.
Read more: French ferry ports – ‘IT and tablets not ready for EES border changes’
Union des Aéroports Français noted the lack of testing of pre-registration kiosks in Paris airports, which it said was impossible between spring and September due to the Olympics. It has also told The Connexion it does not expect the Parafe automatic passport gates to be adapted at large airports in time for these to be integrated into the systems from a start date of November 10.
Ports de Normandie this week told The Connexion its kiosks are still empty shells without the computerised terminals inside, and it has still not received the tablet computers that will be handed to car passengers to enter data.
It also said the French government has yet to ‘switch on’ systems which will allow for data collected at the ports to be transmitted to the central EU database.
However, Eurostar told The Connexion it is “focused on our own readiness, which is on track” and Eurotunnel said “our investment and preparation will ensure that we are ready for November 10 as planned”.
