Maidstone, UK: Kent council leaders have warned the new government of the need for “urgent action” to reduce potential disruption when the new EU Entry/Exit system is introduced. With just 100 days before the new checks come in, concern is mounting that they will lead to 14-hour queues and food rotting in lorries.
The Entry Exit System (EES), which is understood to go live on 10 November – postponed from October – will require British travellers to the EU to submit biometric information, such as fingerprints and a photograph.
In a letter to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh last week, council leaders warned that the checks “threaten to result in extremely serious delays” for international trade and travellers. Leaders from 14 councils in Kent – Kent County Council, Medway Council and 12 district and borough councils – asked the government to “recognise the severe risk of disruption”.
“We also need you to support us in finding and funding new long-term, sustainable ways to manage cross Channel traffic, and to ensure that Kent has the infrastructure in place to ensure that ESS checks do not have a devastating impact,” the letter said.
Kent leaders asked the government for access to data modelling, timelines and mitigations already in development “as a matter of urgency”. They also called for the government to work with the EU “to find a technological solution” to allow the Port of Dover to process passengers more quickly on and off-site.
Nichola Mallon, head of trade at Logistics UK, has warned that “time is running out” and that there was an “urgent need” for the Government to share its modelling on EES congestion at ports, such as Dover. “We understand that it couldn’t be shared during the pre-election period,” she told i. “But we’re now past the election, so it’s essential that that scenario planning and that data is shared as a matter of urgency.”
“If [lorries are] bringing GB exports across, which are perishable goods, every hour that sits in the back of the lorry, the lower shelf life and the lower its value and the increased risk, you have of wastage,” she said.
“We understand that they’ve got a significant in-tray, but we have been consistently making the point that EES is one of our most significant concerns.”
Steve Burns, a director at MBS Inter Mar, a Scottish live shellfish exporter, told I that the EES could cause “absolute chaos” for lorries heading to Europe and lead to thousands of pounds of fish going to waste.
“When you’ve got perishable goods, it’s the equivalent of turning over an egg timer, and when the sand runs through the hourglass, thousands of pounds of goods could overnight become worthless,” he said.
There is still no confirmed date on when an EU app being developed by member states to cut waiting times will be brought in.
Mallon, described the app as a potential “absolute game-changer” as it would allow travellers to register at home rather than be processed at border controls, but has raised concerns it won’t be ready by the summer of 2025, as previously hoped.
The Department for Transport told the BBC: “The new Government is reviewing the preparations that have been made so far ahead of EES being introduced by the EU.
“This includes making sure ports and carriers have the right technology and processes in place so EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible.
“We are also working closely with the European commission, local authorities and agencies as well as the travel industry to ensure they’re preparing effectively for the introduction of the EU’s new border checks.”