The EU’s decision to delay the planned launch of its new border Entry/Exit System (EES) next month avoided “complete and utter carnage” in Dover, according to local government leaders, despite promises the system would have been ready.
Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills told the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee last week: “We would not have been ready on November 10. We’re more than happy there has been a delay.”
The EU announced the delay on October 11.
More: Industry bodies welcome European Union’s EES delay
Mills said: “The road networks are not ready. There has been no live technology trial at Dover. None of the tech is ready. None of the infrastructure is ready. The Department for Transport has made great play of having plans to take traffic off the roads but has not discussed these with Dover District Council.”
He warned an EES launch “would be complete and utter carnage”, adding: “We don’t know the length of delay or what will follow.”
Kent County Council leader Roger Gough agreed, saying: “The delay came as a relief. We don’t know how long it will be or what is to be done during that time. There is talk of some form of soft launch. The key thing is not to have a sudden introduction.”
He told the committee: “A great deal of work has gone on to try to mitigate the impacts but there are great residual risks. This may be an opportunity to address those.”
Rail operators were less pleased about the delay. Eurostar general secretary and chief strategic partnerships officer Gareth Williams said: “We would have been ready on November 10. Our teams were ready, and communications prepared.”
John Keefe, chief corporate and public affairs officer of Eurotunnel operator Getlink, went further, saying: “We’re disappointed. We had the infrastructure in place, the processes worked through and had recruited staff.
“We put £80 million of investment in not only to be ready but for it to be efficient. Until we go live there is no way to recover that cost, [which] will inevitably be passed on to customers.”
However, he said the EU had recognised “late in the day, that it would not have worked to go live”. Keefe insisted: “The testing needs to be rigorous at the EU end of the system, so it won’t fail.