Three years after his first alarm ( of 14 June 2023), today the European Ports Association reaffirmed its concerns about the impact on the business of EU ports of the Entry/Exit System (EES), the EU IT system for the registration of citizens of countries third parties travelling for short stays whenever cross the borders of the countries of the European Union that use the system. The EES was launched last year October and became fully operational on 10 April.

The European Sea Ports Organisation has raised the alarm again in View of the upcoming summer peak in port traffic of the EU. ESPO highlighted the congestion situation of the traffic occurred in the port of Dover during a recent week, which caused significant delays for passengers and vehicles, and stressed the importance of ensuring sufficient operational flexibility in the implementation of the EES. The association recalled that the temporary relaxation of the EES checks by the French authorities, in accordance with with the flexibility mechanisms provided for in the framework legal situation in force, in Dover has completely resolved the situation, but only after severe congestion had already occurred which affected passengers, goods and local communities.

ESPO therefore called for a proactive use of flexibilities legal framework governing EES controls, in particular particularly where traffic forecasts indicate a high risk of severe congestion, supported by clear guidelines for the competent authorities responsible for the implementation of the EES controls in the Schengen area.

«The summer period - explained Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General of ESPO - will represent the first real stress test for the EES in some of the main European maritime border crossings in the area Schengen. The flexibilities provided for by the Regulation must be activated promptly in exceptional circumstances but in order to proactively avoid severe traffic jams and inconvenience to both commercial and passenger traffic. We must ensure that the long-awaited summer holiday season does not turn into a period of stress for families and professional drivers".