The UK government recently conducted a new survey. It showed that once the new Entry/Exit System (EES) of the European Union comes into effect travel to the bloc will reduce.
According to the results, one in seven Brits are less likely to travel to the EU. The UK’s Department for Transport revealed that the survey polled a total of 1,584 Brits over 16 year old.
The survey
15% of the people who participated in the survey revealed that they would reconsider their travel plans to the EU after the EES comes into effect.
More details showed that 20% of the Brits who participated it the survey would also cancel, or postpone their ferry trip to the European Union if there were system delays of over an hour.
Other than these details, the survey also revealed that the queuing required for registering in the EES was one of the primary concerns of most Brits.
The new Entry/Exit System of the EU is scheduled for implementation on October 6th this year. The manual passport stamping process will be eliminated once that happens.
The system
When the system comes into effect, those holding a UK passport would have to take a picture, share their fingerprints. And, their passport details for completing the registration process.
This would be required for anyone who wants to enter the Schengen Area. The database will store the travelers’ data for about three years.
In addition, it would be useful for tracking people entering and leaving the Schengen Area. Brits are extremely concerned about the entire registration process.
This is due to the fact that the new system is expected to lead to long queues, as extra time will be needed for registering travelers.
The European Scrutiny Committee of the UK has already said that the Port of Dover might experience delays of 14 hours.
To reduce the inconvenience the Brits would have to face. It has called on the UK government to request for changing the start date of the system.
The concerns
In addition, the Committee also asked the government to set aside funds for conducting awareness campaigns.
This would be helpful for anyone who will cross the border after the new system is implemented. Nonetheless, there are still concerns about long delays.
However, travel agents have asserted that there is no need for Brits to be concerned about traveling to the EU after the system is implemented.
It is true that travelers are likely to face delays in the registration process for the first time. But, the speed of processing times is likely to increase due to automated border controls.
Furthermore, it will also deliver a better experience to travelers. Apart from that, Brits can also use local agents for booking their trips.
This will help them ensure compliance with the new travel requirements when they are traveling to the Schengen Area.
