New EU e-gates may ‘disturb public order’, French minister warns

New EU e-gates that require British holidaymakers to have their photograph and fingerprints taken before entering the bloc could ‘disturb public order’, a senior French minister has warned.

French transport minister Patrice Vergriete said he was ‘worried’ about the new automated border measures which are set to come into force 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.

Mr Vergriete has warned that the change could have ‘serious operational consequences’ for airports and even ‘disturb public order’.

French transport minister Patrice Vergriete (pictured) said he was ‘worried’ about the new automated border measures which are set to come into force 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). (File photo)

‘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.

Queues at the Port of Dover – one of the locations where the new border checks will be in place

People queue for Eurostar train services at St Pancras International station as they make their Easter getaway in London, Britain, 29 March 2024

Each time visitors try to cross into the continent, they will have to show a facial image and provide four fingerprints 

One senior Government source familiar with the discussions on the new checks told the newspaper: ‘The main risk is that we are in the hands of the French in those places where there is going to be disruption on UK soil.’ 

Lord Cameron previously said he was ‘really worried’ about delays and said the technology ‘still needs testing and improving’ as he pointed to ‘choke points’ at Dover and St Pancras.

Airlines are set to be concerned that tourists will face severe delays in both departures and arrivals.

Meanwhile Eurotunnel estimate that the average time of processing a car at Dover will rise from less than a minute to up to seven minutes – partially because visitors will not be able to have their passports checked at windows and will instead need to exit vehicles and use the e-gates.