The EU’s long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES)—fingerprint and facial-image capture for non-EU travellers—has hit another delay, and France is central to the latest reprieve. According to Brussels sources cited by The Guardian, nine member states including France, Greece, Portugal and Italy have formally asked for additional time beyond the 6 September deadline to make airports and seaports fully compliant. The EES, adopted in 2017, is already partially active, logging 200 million registrations and blocking 70,000 attempted overstays. Yet large French hubs such as Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle fear that peak-season congestion and lack of biometric kiosks could snarl passenger flows. France has also yet to activate EES equipment at the Port of Dover juxtaposed-controls, where French police check passports on UK soil. For mobility managers the delay is a mixed blessing. Travellers will avoid immediate fingerprint queues, but uncertainty persists over the switch-over date—vital for scheduling group moves and VIP visits tied to visa-waiver limits. Carriers and ground-handling firms must keep dual processes alive, increasing administrative cost. The European Commission is unlikely to sanction the laggards, signalling pragmatism ahead of the 2027 tourist surge linked to the next Olympic cycle. Still, businesses should expect a compressed implementation window once France finalises procurement of additional kiosks; training plans for travel staff should be updated accordingly. Companies moving UK nationals should monitor closely: EES data already stopped 27,000 Britons who overstayed their 90-day allowance since June. Once France is fully on-line, overstays will become instantaneous fines at Schengen exit points.
Source: The Guardian
