EU suspends EES border checks across 9 countries - full list

The EES, which records biometric data such as fingerprints and facial scans, applies to British and other non-EU visitors entering the Schengen Area.

Since its introduction last October and wider implementation from April 10, the system has led to long queues and missed connections across major European airports.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Europe Travel Advisor | Julia T (@travel_luckk)

These disruptions have led to calls from industry professionals for the EES rollout to be delayed.

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have urged the EU to halt the rollout, while Malta Air CEO David O’Brien threatened to withdraw all flights to Malta due to the resulting delays.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also called for an EES suspension until next summer, with passengers experiencing "delays and missed connections" in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Belgium.

The 9 countries where EES border checks have been suspended

EU officials previously granted countries a 150-day grace period during which they could drop the checks to avoid travel chaos.

This grace period expired earlier this month, on September 6.

Now, at least nine Schengen countries have told the European Commission that they "would not enforce the new controls in full until the technology and systems were working correctly", according to The Times.

The EU had previously rejected calls to suspend the EES.

However, it has now allowed nine countries to delay full implementation of the EES.

These countries are:

• France
• Belgium
• The Netherlands
• Germany
• Greece
• Malta
• Portugal
• Italy
• Switzerland

The European Commission refused to comment.

ETIAS launch delayed until 2027

Meanwhile, the launch of the EU's new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been delayed until 2027.

The ETIAS is a pre-authorisation scheme which will apply to UK passport holders and other visa-exempt travellers entering 30 European countries for short stays.

Applicants will be required to pay a €20 fee, though travellers under 18 or over 70 will be exempt.

The ETIAS was expected to launch later this year, but it has now been delayed until 2027.

The decision is due to "technical glitches" and delays with the EES, which only recently came online after being postponed from 2022.

EU home affairs commissioner, Magnus Brunner, said the delays were due to "other factors", including insufficient staff or lack of adequate infrastructure.

EU-Lisa, the agency responsible for ETIAS, has reportedly acknowledged that "launching it by the end of this year as planned was no longer feasible".

The European Commission will set the official launch date only after EU-Lisa confirms the system has been fully tested and is ready.

A spokesperson for the organisation said: "Preparations for the launch of ETIAS are ongoing.

"Obviously, as with any large-scale IT system, many factors come into play when deciding when to launch it."

Have you used the EU's new Entry/Exit system yet? Tell us about your experience in the poll above or in the comments below.