Adam Bolton: Holiday travellers beware – Europe is about to get a lot harder to get to and from | Politics News

The August holidays are here, which means it’s time for millions of people to get back to work after a long holiday.

Many Britons will be returning home from Europe this weekend via ports, airports and the Channel Tunnel.

Their trip may have included annoying delays and border checks, but there won’t be a summer as smooth as 2024 for many years to come.

A few months later, European Union We will begin imposing a new “entry-exit system” (EES) on UK citizens.

This means that fingerprint and biometric identification will be required for all British visitors to the EU’s Schengen area by the end of the year.

From November 2025, you will need to obtain a de facto entry visa in advance, costing €7 (£6) for a three-year residence permit.

There is no doubt that EES will result in increased delays and costs for both travelers and border control authorities.

For example, car passengers arriving in Dover were told that processing could take 15 hours before they could board the ferry.

Britain supported stronger borders when it was an EU member state.

later BrexitBritain now faces the consequences on the other side of the fence.

Starmer likely to push for delay in hyper-sensitive restrictions again

These practical additional problems for British travellers come at a time when Britain’s new Labour government is seeking to forge friendlier relations with the EU.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Meeting with the newly appointed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen There are plans to resume regular meetings between Britain and the bloc in September.

But in terms of identity, the new system merely confirms the country’s changed status.

British citizens will now be treated in the European Union in a similar way to how they are treated in other allies, including Japan and the United States.

However, the main destination for British tourists is mainly Europe, whether for business or leisure.

Last year, official figures from the UK government showed that 66 million Britons visited Europe, with 60 million visiting core EU countries. The second most visited country was North America, with 4.5 million visiting.

The top five foreign holiday destinations for British people are Spain, Greece, Italy, France and Portugal.

Making travel from the UK to Europe more cumbersome is a sensitive issue for both countries, and the implementation of new border controls has been repeatedly delayed.

First planned in 2017, it was originally scheduled to take effect in 2021. Even the latest biometric screening start date of November 10, 2024, is a month later than the latest October deadline. At least fall break travelers will now be able to avoid the hassle.

There is a possibility that Sir Keir’s impending meeting could be further delayed, but that seems unlikely.

What to expect in the near future

According to the Times, This week, Sir Keir’s agenda will include striking a deal to guarantee two-way freedom of movement between the UK and the EU for people under 30 for three years.

The agreement would be similar to the one the UK currently shares with New Zealand and Australia. Rishi Sunak’s When the EU proposed this idea, the government was staunchly opposed.

So, biometric testing is expected to begin in November.

As I traveled across borders this summer, through airports and ferry ports, I saw technology already in place, with booths and sensors lined up waiting to be deployed.

Air travellers will be processed upon arrival in Europe. Those travelling by ferry or train will need to complete the process at their UK departure point.

There is a high probability that costs and delays will occur.

Eurostar is spending £8.5 million on additional facilities at St Pancras, including new overflow cabins.

Because space is limited in some parts of the terminal, we plan to install terminals throughout the station that check the Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).

An additional £70 million has been allocated to Folkestone, which will see cars and trucks enter via the Eurotunnel.

The Port of Dover is expanding its bus handling facility on its west wharf, with plans to have more storage space on site for vehicles by 2027.

The new system is ‘virtually a visa’

Officially, the new mandatory ETIAS authorisation to enter the EU is not a visa.

But veteran British travel journalist Simon Calder says it “does fit the bill” and is broadly similar to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) travel waiver for the United States.

He points out that both methods require you to apply online in advance, provide important personal information, pay money and obtain permission to cross the border.

Applicants are asked details about their age, address and passport, as well as whether they have any criminal convictions or have recently visited a war zone.

It is expected that ETIAS applications will take 3 days to process.

There will be a six-month grace period for disruption when ETIAS is introduced for UK citizens in May next year, but from November 2025, anyone without an ETIAS authorization will not be allowed to travel. Passport stamps will be removed on arrival and departure.

Scammers are already active online offering to process your ETIAS.

European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex has stressed that the only way to obtain an ETIAS is to apply for a fixed fee at europa.eu/elias.

This system is not yet available to, or required by, UK citizens.

Immigration and identity issues affected by change

The EU’s Schengen travel area includes all 27 member states except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The common travel area between Ireland and the UK remains in place.

In the long run, these new measures will allow people with the right documentation to travel more efficiently.

They will also strengthen authorities’ control over who enters their territories.

Both Britain and the EU want to crack down on illegal immigration.

But the inevitably bureaucratic nature of travel also affects how people view their own identities.

Finally, the British government, which voted for Brexit, sought to negotiate bilateral agreements with individual European countries as part of an effort to undermine the notion of European solidarity.

The EES is a sign of opposition that the so-called “European superpower” does not want to be divided so easily.

EU citizens, who are more familiar with using ID cards than the British, already have to pass through technical checkpoints to enter the UK and face similar restrictions on how long they can stay.

A real barrier is rising between Britain and Europe, and those who identify as both British and European are caught in the middle.

Read more from Sky News:
PM tries to fix ‘messy’ Brexit
Terror breaks out at German NATO air base

This week, while traveling on a ferry from France to Ireland, I noticed this psychodrama advertisement on the back of the vehicle boarding the ship.

Ireland was transformed and liberated by joining the European Community after Britain. Northern Ireland, with its open borders to the south, had a foot in both camps. In terms of trade, this wound was clawed at by the long fight over the Protocol, Windsor Framework.

Even more heartbreaking, bumper stickers on cars and trailers heading north via Cork were confused with the letters “NI” on the EU flag, which means that like all other EU member states, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is no longer part of the EU.

For some British citizens, the additional travel hassle and ETIAS fee may be a price worth paying to “take back control.” Many others, with their newfound anxiety about travel plans and the resulting queue anxiety, may not think so.

For ordinary travellers, the changes to European travel rules could be just as significant as some of the challenges posed by the new government.

Sir Keir Starmer cannot afford to ignore them.