The Government is giving the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel £3.5 million each to prepare for new EU border checks coming into force in November.
The money will be used to help install new technology to support the EU’s new digital Entry and Exit system (EES).
When the new system is launched, anyone travelling on a non-EU passport, including British citizens, will need to register at the border by having their fingerprints and photograph taken.
There have been fears that this will lead to long delays as the processing time for each passenger will be massively increased.
Announcing the new funding, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative.”
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra added: “While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states and ports to ensure we are well prepared, and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe.”
At the Port of Dover, the funding will be used to expedite work on the Granville Dock Project, where the existing marina at the Western Docks will be infilled and used as a site for EES processing.
At Eurotunnel and Eurostar, the funding will be used to install additional kiosks, and undertake ‘rigorous’ testing to reduce the risk of disruption, and support recruitment and training of staff.
The Government said ports have been making ‘significant progress’ in their EES planning and are now ‘on track for a smooth transition ‘ahead of implementation later this year.
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The money will be used to help install new technology to support the EU’s new digital Entry and Exit system (EES).
When the new system is launched, anyone travelling on a non-EU passport, including British citizens, will need to register at the border by having their fingerprints and photograph taken.
There have been fears that this will lead to long delays as the processing time for each passenger will be massively increased.
Announcing the new funding, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative.”
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra added: “While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states and ports to ensure we are well prepared, and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe.”
At the Port of Dover, the funding will be used to expedite work on the Granville Dock Project, where the existing marina at the Western Docks will be infilled and used as a site for EES processing.
At Eurotunnel and Eurostar, the funding will be used to install additional kiosks, and undertake ‘rigorous’ testing to reduce the risk of disruption, and support recruitment and training of staff.
The Government said ports have been making ‘significant progress’ in their EES planning and are now ‘on track for a smooth transition ‘ahead of implementation later this year.
The post Govt. to spend £10.5m to ‘minimise disruption’ for Brits travelling to EU from November appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
