EU States Request Extension of New EES Emergency Mechanism for Foreign Nationals

Moscow (ANTARA) - Nine European countries have asked the European Commission to extend the emergency mechanism of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for foreign nationals, which mandates the collection of biometric data, according to a report by Politico.

The report cited a joint letter from the interior ministers of EU member states who have submitted a request to the Commission.

In the letter dated 7 July, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, and Switzerland informed the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, that the first few months of operating the new border control system have shown “significant difficulties” that cannot be underestimated, according to the report on Wednesday.

The ministers reportedly reaffirmed their support for the EES, but asked Brussels to allow member states to continue using the system’s emergency mechanism beyond its expiry date of 6 September 2026.

The emergency mechanism allows border services to temporarily suspend fingerprinting and facial scanning of travellers in certain exceptional cases to prevent congestion at borders, according to the report.

Source: Sputnik/RIA Novosti