UK to spend £10.5m on new EU border checks

UK to spend £10.5m on new EU border checks of Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel that are important in the travel and Tourism industry

The new EU border controls will go into effect in November to improve the country’s Tourism and Travel.

With the aid of this funding, new technology will be installed to facilitate the EU’s new digital Entry and Exit system (EES).

Anybody travelling with a non-EU passport—including inhabitants of the United Kingdom—will need to register at the border by having their fingerprints and photo taken when the new system is implemented.

There have been worries that since each Tourist or passenger’s processing time will increase significantly, this may cause lengthy waits.

“Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative,” Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said in announcing the new funding.

“While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states, and ports to ensure we are well prepared and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe,” stated Seema Malhotra, Minister of Migration and Citizenship.

The money will be used to speed up construction on the Granville Dock Project in the Port of Dover, which will infill the current marina at the Western Docks and use it as a location for EES processing.

The money will be used at Eurotunnel and Eurostar to boost personnel hiring and training, build more kiosks, and conduct “rigorous” testing to lower the chance of interruption.

According to the government, ports are “on track for a smooth transition” ahead of implementation later this year since they have been making “significant progress” in their EES preparations.

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