The Netherlands, Germany and France are not yet ready to use biometric control technology for the entry/exit system. The European Union wanted to put the system into use on November 10, but that will not happen at the moment.
The mentioned countries are not yet ready to integrate the new surveillance system into existing border control systems, Reuters writes Based on statements by European Commissioner Ylva Johansson. A new start date for EES has not yet been planned. The Netherlands, Germany and France account for around 40 percent of all non-EU travelers and are statistically the most affected by the biometric control system.
Travelers from outside Schengen countries must provide a fingerprint and facial scan under EES. This data will be stored in a database for three years and should ensure that governments are able to better control whether non-EU travelers leave the EU before the end of their permitted stay. The National Investigative Services and Europol also have access to the database. This system should replace the stamping of passports by the Royal Military Police.
The EES laws were proposed in 2016 and plans for the system were officially approved in 2017. They should then be operational in 2020. According to The Guardian newspaper This is the third time the launch of the control system has been postponed. There are currently discussions about a possible limited version of EES or a phased rollout, but no official information has been published yet.
Updated at 11:08 a.m – The title has been tightened to better reflect that the EES rollout has not necessarily been halted, but rather postponed.
Updated at 1:13 p.m – It has been incorrectly suggested that customs stamps passports. This has been replaced by the Royal Military Police.
