A new survey by the UK government has shown that one in seven Brits are less likely to travel to the bloc once the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) officially enters into force.
According to the Department for Transport of the UK, a total of 1,584 Brits over the age of 16 were polled on EES.
Of the total number of people who took part in the survey, 15 per cent said that the EES would make them reconsider their travel plans to the European Union, Schengen.News reports.
As the Independent explains, another 20 per cent of the Brits polled said they would postpone or cancel their ferry trip to the EU if the system causes delays of more than an hour.
In addition to the above-mentioned, the survey revealed that one of the main concerns of Brits remains the queueing to register in the system.
EU’s New Entry/Exit System Will Launch This October
The EU’s new Entry/Exit System is set to launch on October 6 of this year, with the system replacing the manual passport stamping.
Once the system becomes operational, UK passport holders who want to enter the Schengen Area will have to take a photo and provide their fingerprints and passport details to complete the registration process.
The data will then be stored in the database for a three-year period and will be used to keep track of people who enter and leave the Schengen Area.
The whole registration process is causing concerns among Brits as it is expected to cause long queues since everyone will need extra time to register.
To make sure that Brits face little to no inconvenience, the European Scrutiny Committee of the UK, which warned of up to 14-hour delays at the Port of Dover, has already called on the government to ask for the scheme’s start date to be reconsidered.
The Committee also called on the government to set aside more funding that can be used for awareness campaigns for those who will be crossing the border once the new system enters into force.
Travel Agents Say There Is No Reason To Hesitate to Travel to EU From October
While concerns about long delays remain, travel agents have said that Brits should not be hesitant to travel to the bloc once the EES become operational.
According to the chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, Julia Lo Bue-Said, while travellers may face delays when they register for the first time, the automated border controls will increase the speed of processing times and improve the experience for travellers.
Bue-Said recommended that Brits book their trips through local agents so that they will be able to ensure that they are compliant with the new travel requirements to the Schengen Area.
