The Normandy Ports director, Jérôme Chauvet, has said that longer queues than usual are expected when the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is implemented.
According to Chauvet, despite the French authorities working on the introduction of the new system, there are many worries about things that might not go smoothly and cause inconveniences for foreigners entering the bloc.
The EES, which is an automated IT system, will officially be introduced on November 10. The new border system will replace manual passport stamping and will require all foreigners entering the EU to register their information, including fingerprints and facial images.
The data will be stored in a database for a period of three years once the registration is completed and travellers will be able to cross the border more easily.
As the EU authorities have noted, the main aim of the system is to control the entry and exit of foreigners into the bloc, detect overstayers, prevent irregular migration, and protect European citizens.
People Entering France Through Normandy Ports by Car Will Be Pre-Registered While Waiting in Line
Speaking for The Connexion, Chauvet said that Normandy Ports, covering Cherbourg, Caen-Ouistreham and Dieppe, will mainly use tablets to register travellers into the system. Kiosks will also be placed at terminals.
As he explained, people who travel by car will be pre-registered by a member of the staff when they wait in line to cross the border. The members of staff will hand out tablets to people waiting in their cars.
Chauvet noted that the travellers will have to provide all the required information, including their biometric data. Then, when they pass in front of the border guard, the authority will check once again if the fingerprints that have been entered correspond to the person crossing the border.
As for people travelling with coaches, Chauvet revealed that there will be a specific place to accommodate coaches. Once the coaches are accommodated, people on them will have to get outside to register into the ESS in kiosks. However, he stressed that this will depend from one port to another.
It will depend on the port. For example, at Caen-Ouistreham, there will be a specific place to accommodate coaches where people will get out, and there will be a kiosk. At Dieppe, they will go to kiosks at the ferry terminal.
Additionally, Chauvet clarified that the passports of travellers will be scanned by the border guard, saying he does not believe that there will be a scan before that. Still, this is yet to be seen when the EES launches.
Normandy Ports Have Not Carried Out Any Tests Yet, Director Said
While some EU countries, including Lithuania, have said that they are ready for the EES and finalising tests, Chauvet said that they have not been able to carry out any checks if the system is working properly.
As he disclosed for The Connexion, due to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Ministry of Interior said that there should not be any test until September.
However, Chauvet emphasised that they are not too worried about any possible inconvenience as ports are not too busy in November when the system launches, and they will be able to take measures quickly without causing delays.
As for the airports, he said that this is not necessarily the case as the French airports register a high number of travellers all year round.
