A new Spain, Greece and France rule for UK tourists is ‘bad for tourism’, it has been warned, ahead of the European Union introducing a brand-new system for people heading to the continent from the UK from October this year. After years of delays, the EU’s new entry system is expected to be rolled out this autumn.
But many travellers are concerned about the new rules. “We are giving no advice at all as we are waiting to see if the scheme actually goes ahead,” said Noel Josephides, chairman of the UK travel agent Sunvil to Euronews Travel.
The travel agents report one comment on the scheme from a client, who said he was “fed up” with regulations and “would not travel in Europe again”. “The more bureaucracy the worse it will be for travel freedoms,” he continued.
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“Whenever they launch it, it will be bad for tourism and will complicate travel, otherwise France would have accepted its introduction before the Olympics in France this summer.” EES is expected to come into force on October 6 in an effort to boost border security.
Travellers from non-EU countries such as the UK will need to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database the first time they enter a member state, with the data stored for three years.
“The EES process was designed for pedestrian passengers passing through an airport, and is fundamentally unsuited for a port environment,” Jack Steer, P&O’s European Operations Director, wrote in a letter to Parliament.
“EES is an EU initiative, but the UK Government is working closely with the European Commission, its member states, local authorities in the UK and industry to minimise any disruption to people’s travel plans,” a spokesperson from the UK’s Department for Transport told Euronews Travel.