The long-awaited reform of the European Union's border control has hit a serious administrative hurdle. At least nine Schengen countries have officially decided to postpone the introduction of the new biometric checks for third-country nationals.
This concerns the implementation of the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which was to automatically register the names, passport details, fingerprints and facial scans of travellers at the EU's external borders. The initial plan was for it to be fully operational in the autumn, but major member states, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, have raised serious concerns that computer systems and border crossings have not passed the necessary tests.
The main reason for the postponement is the fear of triggering total chaos and huge queues at airports and ports. National interior ministries report that the central software provided by the European agency eu-LISA still shows critical errors in simulations. The new estimated start date of the system is being pushed back to the middle of next year.