British holidaymakers face a summer of disruption as the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) prepares to launch, forcing travellers to submit biometric data—fingerprints and facial scans—at external borders. The system, designed to track non-EU citizens, is expected to cause lengthy queues at ports and airports, with Dover and Eurostar terminals likely hit hardest. Yet, paradoxically, this digital bottleneck reveals a Brexit dividend: the UK's independent border regime, now outside the Schengen area, allows it to fast-track its own citizens through dedicated lanes, bypassing the biometric dragnet.
The EES, a long-delayed project, reflects the EU's struggle to balance security with frictionless movement. For Britons, the lesson is clear—sovereignty comes with a new kind of queue. The system goes live in November, promising a 'user experience' of waiting and watching as the algorithm of identity unfolds.
