France, Germany, Netherlands Won’t Meet November EES Deadline: Report

Officials from France, Germany, and the Netherlands have reportedly written to European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to warn her that their countries will not be prepared for the activation of the European Union’s biometric Entry-Exit System by her mid-November deadline.

The EES is an automated border control system designed to modernize and enhance security for non-EU travelers entering and exiting the Schengen Area, a zone of relatively free movement between member states. It will collect biometric data, including fingerprints and facial images, and record entry and exit information for both short-stay visa holders and visa-exempt travelers.

Last month, Johansson had asserted that the often-delayed system would finally go live on November 10, in remarks during a visit to eu-LISA, the European Union agency overseeing the IT infrastructure of the EES. “Everything is coming together,” she said at the time. “We’re in the final testing phase. There is a real momentum now.”

Those remarks were followed by a news report indicating that EU officials were reserving November 17 as a “last resort” backup deadline in case November 10 turned out to be unfeasible.

Earlier this month, eu-LISA’s official LinkedIn account said EES would be “launching Nov 2024”. It now appears that another delay is coming.

According to The Guardian, the French, German, and Dutch officials warned in their letters to Johansson that they had concerns about a lack of testing in the field ahead of the planned launch. Meanwhile, transport operators in the United Kingdom reportedly received briefings last week warning of another EES delay.

Originally scheduled to launch in 2022, the EES has faced multiple delays due to various challenges, including IT issues, installation of automated barriers, and concerns about readiness at busy border crossings. The implementation date has been pushed back several times, from May 2023 to the end of 2023, then to October 6, 2024, and lately to November.

Source: The Guardian

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September 17, 2024 – by Alex Perala