France has warned that ‘civil unrest’ could follow the implementation of strict new EU border controls requiring British holidaymakers to have their photograph and fingerprints taken before entering the bloc.
‘It is a challenge and we must not get this wrong,’ French transport minister Patrice Vergriete told aviation executives, warning ‘serious operational problems’ could create queues of tourists at airports and lead to the ‘disruption’ of public order.
Mr Vergriete said last week preparations for the summer Olympics in Paris were still taking priority, despite alerting the interior minister to concerns.
‘We have little visibility and are doubtful about police numbers and technology,’ he lamented.
From October, British and non-EU passport holders will have to go through fingerprint checks and face scans under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The system will check each passenger’s name and biometric data when they enter an EU country.
It will replace the stamping of passports, which began after Brexit when the UK became a ‘third country’ to the bloc – meaning it is not a member state and does not have the right to free movement within the EU.
‘I cannot say that we are not working hard to ensure that we are as operational as possible,’ he told the French National Federation of Aviation and its Trades (FNAM) conference.
‘I cannot say that collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior is going badly, that would be lying… but I fear problems.’
The transport minister said he had asked the EU for a delay to the new system being rolled out but he fears this is unlikely.
It had been scheduled to come into force before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but this has since been delayed.
‘I’m even going to ask for a further postponement, but it seems difficult to me to get it from the European authorities,’ Mr Vergriete added.
‘We will do our utmost to be on time, and we are all aware that things are not going to run totally smoothly’.
Mr Vergriete is not the first minister to raise concerns over the new e-gate system.
Lord Cameron, James Cleverly and Mark Harper have all raised concerns about the new system with French ministers, noting that the changes could lead to travel chaos, the Telegraph previously reported.
Read More: France warns of ‘civil unrest’ over new EU e-gates
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