The exact date for the launch of the border system for entry/exit to the EU (EES) has been announced. According to the British edition of The Independent, France “pushed” the launch of the system after the Olympic Games, as a result, the system will start working on October 6, 2024.
This date has been confirmed by, for example, Eurotunnel, the company responsible for the tunnel connecting Folkestone to Calais in France, which has confirmed that the system is undergoing testing. The Union of French Airports also announced the “refining” of the system’s check-in kiosks.
The publication also states that it was France that was behind the new date and put pressure on the EU institutions to launch the EES after the end of the Paris Olympic Games. As a reminder, the games should take place in the summer of 2024. The main purpose of the delay is to avoid entry delays during the Olympics.
We will remind you that the EES, the introduction of which was discussed in 2017, is a system that should “strengthen the external borders of the EU”. The system collects biometric data of persons entering and leaving the territory of the European Union, “preventing potential threats.” The system should also be closely linked to the European Tourist Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), whose launch has been postponed to 2025.