Home secretary urged to respond to concerns over EU travel systems

On EES, Hamwee’s letter noted that EES checks would require a great deal of awareness work to reduce the likelihood of disruption, including engagement with domestic and international stakeholders, beyond the current government plans to simply update travel advice.

Moreover, another warning is that the system will permanently slow the flow of UK vehicles and passengers to and from the EU. The letter noted that under the system’s current design, it would be impossible to carry out checks in vehicles, meaning passengers would have to step into live traffic.

“Continuous EES checks are expected to permanently slow the flow of UK vehicles and passengers to and from the EU. We have heard that in Dover and Folkestone, red tape at borders has an immediate knock-on effect on traffic,” said Hamwee, adding that if Schengen entry checks take more than a few seconds, within minutes cars can’t move forward, with congestion quickly reaching the motorways and then spreading through Kent.

According to the letter, senior representatives from the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar expressed concerns at a committee session about the impact the two EU systems will have on their operations, their customers and communities in Kent. “It is clear from that session that there are serious logistical challenges that can only be solved by targeted interventions by the government,” Hamwee noted.

The letter’s appendices point to potential solutions, such as pre-registration in the EES, to speed up border processes. “While EU law requires registration to be supervised by European border officials, nothing prevents this from taking place away from the border,” the letter said, adding that investment in personnel or in physical or technological infrastructure might be required.

Another solution would involve the government sharing the biometric data it holds on UK citizens with EU countries to eliminate the collection of biometric data by European border officials.