European Entry and Exit System
House of Lords · Lords Chamber · 9 Jul 2026 · 24 speeches · Official Report
Commons Urgent Question
The following Answer to an Urgent Question was given in the House of Commons on Wednesday 8 July.
“I thank the right honourable Gentleman for his important question. The entry/exit system is an EU scheme and its implementation is the responsibility of the European Commission and participating member states. This Government have been working closely with the EU, member states and industry to understand the impacts, particularly for the juxtaposed border controls at the port of Dover, at Eurotunnel and at St Pancras, and to advocate for the pragmatic use of the flexibilities available within the legislation to minimise disruption for UK citizens.
The Government have supported all three juxtaposed ports to ensure that they have the right technology and processes in place to make sure that EES registration runs as smoothly as possible. That has included providing £3.5 million of funding to each one to help them make changes to their infrastructure and purchase the equipment they need to ready their sites for EES. It is not unusual to see queues at the Kent juxtaposed ports at peak times due to the unique geography, and that has been the case prior to EES. However, we want to minimise its impact.
On the late May bank holiday weekend, both Ministers and officials engaged with French authorities to ensure that arrangements were in place to handle large volumes of traffic. This resulted in assurances from France that it would have adequate staffing levels and clear escalation plans in case of severe disruption. These arrangements were made use of on 23 May, when the French Police aux Frontières employed flexibilities available within the regulations to alleviate congestion on the road network. I and my officials and ministerial colleagues across government are actively engaging with France and the EU to make similar arrangements ahead of the summer period. The Department for Transport continues to support the Kent and Medway resilience forum, which has tried and tested plans in place to manage disruption to the road network in Kent.
For passengers travelling to Schengen countries by air, EES registration will take place at their destination. It will not take place in UK airports, and queues in EU member states are for those states to manage. However, this Government continue to engage with the Commission and relevant member states to advocate for the pragmatic use of the EES flexibilities allowed to avoid delays for passengers. We are also engaging with our European partners on the use of technology, such as the EES app, to move elements of registration away from the border. We continue to encourage travellers to check with their travel operator before departing so that they know when to arrive and are aware of any possible impacts on their journey”.
My Lords, there have clearly been serious issues across Europe this year in relation to the new European entry system and it is no secret that implementation has been poor. However, the European Union seems to be under the impression that the new entry and exit system is working well. What discussions have the Government had with the European Union about improving the system?
The Government are in constant dialogue with the European Union. We are working closely with European member states to ensure that the juxtaposed ports have the right technology and processes to enable travel to be as smooth as possible for UK citizens. This has included providing £3.5 million in funding to each of the three ports to help make their changes to infrastructure. We will continue to discuss with European partners how we can ensure that we have as smooth an operation as possible in the interests of both the European Union and British travellers.
My Lords, the root cause of the EES misery that British people are suffering is Brexit. There is no running away from that. But my enthusiasm for the EU does not blind me to its flaws, and this is one of them. Will the Government convene an emergency UK-EU meeting with the European Commission before 20 July-perhaps this can be one of Keir Starmer’s leaving presents-to address the disruption and shambles that is the EES, unfortunately, and protect British travellers during the summer peak?
The noble Baroness is right that, were we still a member of the European Union, this issue would not be a problem. She knows how I voted in the referendum and she knows that this is a consequence of that referendum and decision. Having said that, we are where we are. The European Union is responsible for its management of the schemes. As I said to the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Lochiel, we are in constant contact. She asked for an emergency summit; we are holding a summit continuously. We are in constant contact with the authorities and we hope to ensure that the transfer of passengers through the three juxtaposed ports is smooth and efficient.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
My Lords, I have a general question for the noble Lord. I thank him for what he is doing to try to smooth things for passengers from here across Europe. Is it right that a British passenger has to check in for each new country in the EU that they visit, whereas European passengers coming here from the EU check in just once? Is that something that he could alleviate in the discussions he is having with our European partners?
The operation of the EES is a matter for the European Community and its member states. There are different approaches, but my understanding now is that the European Union is trying to get a consistent approach from European countries across the board. It is not for us as a third-party state to have that intervention with European partners, but we can raise issues and we are doing so. We are looking at how we can off-set the concerns that are raised and are trying to ensure smooth transfer, particularly in the three ports that we have-Eurostar, Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover.
Would not the Minister agree that this is an interesting example of how, when we thought we would take back control, actually we have given over control in areas where we could have been part of the solution?
The noble Lord, as ever, is wise, moderate and considered. He makes points that I may share on behalf of the UK Government, but I say to him again that, sadly, we are where we are.
A few months ago I flew to Málaga, where they had decided not to apply the new system. Is it possible to persuade the EU to put off the system until October?
The system is operational. I have travelled to a European country in the last two months and had to ensure that my credentials were checked and established in the proper way. The operation of the scheme is a matter for the European Union. We are a third-party country. We are trying to ensure that it is as smooth as possible. We have had discussions with our European partners and will continue to do so. As I said earlier, we have put in some £3.5 million of UK taxpayers’ money to ensure that the challenges are at least ameliorated as far as possible.
My Lords, I sense this is going against the masochistic mood of the House, but how is a failure of the EU our fault? The noble Baroness, Lady Ludford, in asking her question, said her fondness for the EU does not blind her to the fact that this is a chaotic and badly implemented scheme-for everyone, not just for us. Any third-country national trying to enter the EU will run up against these problems. How is that our responsibility? If there is a bad immigration system in Uzbekistan or Venezuela, that is not our fault. Incredibly, not everything is the fault of Brexit.
The noble Lord tempts me. It is not our responsibility and it is an EU scheme, but it is our problem if lorries and cars are backed up at Dover, if our citizens cannot get into a European country easily and if we have that general mess. The point the noble Baroness made, which I thought he would have recognised given that he is a strong advocate of Brexit, was that, had we not had the referendum and the Brexit decision, we would have been part of the decision-making process on that very system. Now we are not; we are a third-party country because of the decision he advocated, which I remind the House I opposed.
My Lords, in the Government’s discussions with the French and other authorities, are we looking at the possibility that people could register in advance of travelling so that they would be good for two years rather than having to do it at the time of their first journey?
Again, my noble friend tempts me. The operation of this scheme is one for the European Union. We have made a number of representations to see how we can make this more efficient and simpler from the UK perspective. That includes putting in place contingency plans with the police and others for any potential back-up at the ports in the United Kingdom. It also includes working closely and raising issues with all European nations to make sure that we can make this as smooth as possible. I cannot be the European Union, even for the noble Lord, Lord Hannan. What I can be is the UK’s representative making representations about how we can ensure that, from our perspective, this system works as well as possible.
My Lords, having spent many years of my former life in the airline industry and then commuting to Brussels and Strasbourg, I must say in all sincerity that post Brexit the UK really did step up. As a country, we have not made life difficult for EU citizens to come here as tourists and in jobs that they may do. However, we have found that a number of member states, though not every state, continue to make life extremely difficult-I have no idea why-for British travellers, lorries and various others crossing the channel. This is about urging the Government; I know the Minister is trying very hard, but it is called a quid pro quo. We are where we are. This is 10 years on. If we take this in good faith and treat our EU passengers well, which we do, it is not beyond the wit of man for it to be reciprocated for British travellers going abroad.
If there are problems in the system, they are not problems for the British but for any third-party nation. We just happen to be a third-party nation now and I imagine that it is also a problem for Americans and others wishing to enter the EU. In that sense, I sort of agree with the noble Lord, Lord Hannan-something I never expected to say-that it is for the EU to sort out. We are trying to make sure that we help as much as we can to sort out that issue so that it does not impact on UK citizens.
My Lords, this is perhaps a rather self-interested question because, like some other Members, I will be travelling to Europe during the Summer Recess. Of the three major ports-Dover, Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel-does my noble friend have any idea in advance which is likely to find itself under the greatest strain as a result of this system and, as a result, get the resources to alleviate that?
I hope my noble friend enjoys his holiday. We are trying to have no problems at any of the three juxtaposed ports. If he wants to, he can look at GOV.UK and the Foreign Office website to get regular live updates as to what is happening at each port. I say again that, if there are particular challenges at a particular time, we have contingency plans in place-particularly for the roads approaching Dover, with Kent Police and the Medway authorities-to ensure that we manage them in an effective way. I am hoping for a smooth transfer, but I urge all noble Lords and others who are traveling to examine websites, look at the information and, as ever, give sufficient time to travel, whatever happens.