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Europe’s ambitious new border-control system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), is facing mounting pressure just weeks after its EU‑wide launch — and airport authorities are warning that the situation could spiral as the continent enters peak holiday season.
The system, designed to register every non‑EU traveller with biometric data and make that information instantly available to police forces across the bloc, went live on 15 June. Brussels has promoted it as the most advanced border‑security system in the world, intended to stop criminals and terror suspects at the border and curb so‑called asylum shopping, where migrants move between EU states to file multiple claims.
But instead of streamlining travel, the rollout has triggered major delays at airports from Paris to Lisbon. Travellers whose data should already be stored are being forced to repeat the full registration process. Even EU citizens — who should pass through border checks with minimal friction — are being caught in the bottlenecks as airport logistics falter and automated “kiosk” checkpoints crash under heavy data loads.
Airports Sound the Alarm
With school holidays about to begin across Europe, airport authorities in Rome have issued an unusually stark warning. Speaking to the Financial Times, officials said they were “extremely concerned” and doubted they could handle the expected surge in summer passengers.
The full biometric registration of all non‑EU arrivals, they said, is “unmanageable” under current conditions. One official put it bluntly: “We will have to open the floodgates.”
Brussels Expected Turbulence — and Offers a Safety Valve
EU officials, including the team around Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, have acknowledged for weeks that the system would face overload during the summer season. As a contingency, airports are allowed to temporarily suspend the EES, even for the entire summer if necessary.
In theory, the full check for non‑EU travellers should take no more than 70 seconds. Brussels argues that this is a reasonable trade‑off for stronger border security. But several member states appear to have struggled with the technical and logistical preparations.
Airport leaders say the problems go far beyond “teething issues.” Stefan Schulte, head of the association representing Europe’s airports, criticised EU officials for downplaying the scale of the disruption: “Politicians should stop pretending the EES is working. It is not.”
A Stress Test for Europe’s Borders
The coming weeks will determine whether the EES can withstand the pressure of millions of holidaymakers — or whether airports will be forced into widespread suspension of the system to prevent gridlock.
If the early signs are any indication, Europe’s most modern border‑security project may be heading for a turbulent first summer.
- source: kurier.at/picture: canva.com
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