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LONDON — The U.K. government is pumping millions in extra funding to British ports to help them prepare for the rollout of the EU’s new border system this fall, following warnings of travel chaos.
The introduction of the bloc’s new digital entry and exit system (EES), planned for November, has raised fears of queues and delays at the border for British travelers to Europe, who will have to register by having their fingerprints and photograph taken.
Logistics experts have also warned that freight could be caught up in the disruption, with knock-on effects on supply chains.
On Tuesday the Department for Transport announced £10.5 million in additional funding to help the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at London St. Pancras to install technology and complete work to get their sites ready for the checks.
“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,” Lilian Greenwood, a minister at the Department for Transport, said.
“Since coming into government, we have been reviewing plans and closely supporting ports to make sure they have the right processes in place so that EES registration can be smooth and queue times kept to a minimum.”
Migration Minister Seema Malhotra said the government was “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.”
The announcement came after the U.K. Home Office said it would expand the zone used by French border officials at the Port of Dover to speed up the processing of passengers.
Emma Ward, chief operations officer at the Port of Dover, said the funding was a “welcome step towards the significant investments we are making to support government plans to prepare for the introduction of the EU’s EES scheme.”
The funding includes £3.5 million for the Granville Dock Project at Dover, a site earmarked for EES processing. While at Eurotunnel and Eurostar, the remaining funding will be used to install kiosks, carry out testing, and to recruit and train staff.
