Industry leaders are urging the UK government not to introduce its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, set for wholesale launch next April, alongside the EU’s delayed Entry/Exit System (EES).
Eurostar general secretary and chief strategic partnerships officer Gareth Williams told the Lords’ Justice and Home Affairs Committee last week: “We’ve asked can we not have two systems introduced at once.”
However, he said: “It’s difficult for the Home Office to make plans amid this uncertainty.”
The EU had targeted November 10 as the launch date for its new Entry/Exit System but confirmed its postponement earlier this month.
There are no details yet on when the system will now be introduced although the EU has said it’s considering a “phased approach”.
The UK undertook a limited launch of its ETA border system in October last year, intending to extend it progressively. The system now applies to visitors not requiring a visa from across the Gulf states.
The government has confirmed the launch dates of two further stages, on January 8 next year and a wider extension on April 2.
Williams argued: “We’re seeing a huge amount introduced at the border – interactive AI, the ETA, EES, and [next year] the European Travel Information and Authorisation System [Etias].
“Our concern is the systems don’t join up. They ask for very similar information through different channels, and the more you require the same information, the less compliance you get.
“We’ve asked the UK and EU to take a step back.”
John Keefe, chief corporate and public affairs officer at Getlink Group, formerly Eurotunnel, said: “There is a risk [the systems] will be introduced at the same time.”
Keefe noted Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover face unique challenges in implementing the EU’s delayed EES.
He told the committee: “EES is designed for an airport where people are indoors, it’s well lit, they’re weather protected, it’s comfortable and spacious with plenty of time. Our model is high density, fast-flowing, vehicle-based and we have to get data from people in a car.
“So, we’re looking at technology to capture biometric information in moving vehicles. We would like the capture of fingerprints to be done somewhere else, at a distance via a smart phone. We hope to make the most of the delay and bring forward a better system.”