The European Commission says it will step up efforts to help countries experiencing problems with the European Union's new digital border control system after airports and airlines warned it could cause significant delays during the peak summer travel season.
According to a letter obtained by AFP, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said the Commission "will now make additional efforts to help those member states that still encounter issues" with the Entry/Exit System (EES).
The commitment follows a warning from Europe's aviation industry, which said the new border checks have already resulted in wait times of up to five hours at some locations.
According to reports, a joint letter sent Wednesday, Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged the European Union to intervene before travel disruption worsens over the busy summer period.
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The organizations also called for member states to have the ability to fully suspend the new border checks during periods of exceptionally high passenger volumes.
The commissioner is scheduled to meet with aviation industry representatives on July 7 to discuss the concerns.
The EES, introduced in October 2025, replaces manual passport stamping for many non-EU travellers. Instead, it electronically records travellers' personal information and biometric data to help authorities identify visa overstays and people refused entry.
The system is in use across most EU countries, with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus, as well as several non-EU members of the Schengen free movement area, including Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
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In his July 3 letter, Brunner said existing EES rules already provide flexibility during the 2026 summer travel season, including allowing countries to temporarily suspend biometric registration until early September if necessary.
He also suggested that not all delays can be attributed to the new system, pointing instead to factors such as staffing shortages and inadequate border infrastructure.
According to Brunner, approximately 110 million travellers have entered or exited participating countries using the EES since its launch. More than 44,000 people have been denied entry, the vast majority because they lacked the required travel documents or visas.
Brunner says the system is "making Europe safer, every day."
An EU official also told AFP that the system is operating without issues at the majority of the bloc's roughly 1,500 border crossing points.
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