Ministers this week assured the public that Britain’s border security will remain robust as the European Union rolls out its new Entry-Exit System (EES). But for millions of British families planning a summer holiday, the promise of ‘robust security’ rings hollow. The real story is not about keeping us safe. It is about the queues. The delays. The extra cost of a week in the sun.
The EES, due to launch in November, will require non-EU travellers – including Britons – to register their fingerprints and a facial biometric upon entry into the Schengen Area. The system aims to tighten border controls and track overstayers. But it is the practical impact on ordinary holidaymakers that should concern us.
The Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar terminals are bracing for what they describe as ‘significant disruption’. At Dover, where coaches and cars are already processed in tight spaces, the new checks could add up to 10 minutes per vehicle. That might not sound like much, but multiply it by thousands of vehicles on a peak Saturday, and you have a recipe for miles of tailbacks on the M20. The Kent resilience forum has warned of ‘severe congestion’ and potential ‘stacking’ on motorways.
For those booking package holidays with airlines, the worry is different. Passengers flying to the EU will be checked at departure gates or arrival halls. Airlines worry that check-in times will lengthen, leading to missed flights. Ryanair has already threatened to pass on the cost of extra staff to customers through higher fares. EasyJet says it is working closely with airports, but admits that ‘operational challenges’ are inevitable.
At the same time, the cost of a holiday itself has soared. The pound is weak against the euro. Inflation may be easing, but the price of airport parking, a meal out or a hotel room has not fallen. The average family holiday to Spain this summer cost 12% more than last year, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys. The EES will not cause that directly, but it will add friction to an already expensive experience.
The Government’s line is that the UK’s own border system – with electronic gates and pre-screening – is world class. ‘We have no intention of weakening our security,’ said a Home Office spokesperson. That is true, but it misses the point. Most British travellers are law-abiding citizens who just want to get to the beach. The EES is a bureaucratic hurdle designed by Brussels to deter overstayers and illegal migration. It will work for that purpose, but at a cost to the vast majority who play by the rules.
Unions have raised concerns about staffing at border control points on both sides of the Channel. The PCS union, which represents Border Force officers, says there are already 1,200 vacancies. ‘If you think queues are bad now, wait until November,’ a union source told me. Meanwhile, French border police are threatening strike action over pay and conditions. That could bring Dover to a standstill even without the EES.
The real question is whether the system is being implemented with enough thought for the civilian impact. The technology works in trials. But a dry run at a handful of airports is not the same as a live operation in the summer crush. The EU has promised a phased rollout, but ‘phased’ often means ‘chaotic’ in the world of big IT projects.
For now, families are left to hope that the warnings are overblown. But the prudent advice from travel experts is simple: arrive three hours early. Expect delays. And if you are driving to Dover, pack sandwiches. The holiday may start in a traffic jam. And that is not security, it is frustration.
The broader point is that while ministers boast about border resilience, they are missing the kitchen-table reality. For hard-pressed families, the holiday is one of the few remaining treats. Adding stress and cost to that is a policy failure, no matter how secure the border may be.
