EU Rejects Bid to Suspend EES After 110 Million Trips as Airport Chaos Persists
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
EU Rejects Bid to Suspend EES After 110 Million Trips as Airport Chaos Persists
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Summary
European Commission leaders on Tuesday refused the aviation industry's request to pause the Entry/Exit System for the summer, keeping the biometric border checks in place across the 29-country Schengen area.
Since taking full effect in April, EES has triggered hourslong lines, confusion and missed flights at airports, prompting airlines and airport groups to warn that peak-season disruption could worsen.
The Commission said the system's security benefits outweighed the disruption, adding that EES has already logged 110 million trips and blocked 45,000 visitors.
The rules require nonmember travelers entering much of Europe to provide face photos and fingerprints on arrival and verify identity again on exit, extending the system's reach beyond EU states to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.