Prepare for half term queues at Dover due to EU border process, port says

The Port of Dover is warning of potential delays for ferry passengers during the half-term getaway, citing ongoing implementation of the EU's new Entry Exit System (EES) [1]. French border authorities have not yet activated the biometric machines at the port [1]. Some 18,000 cars are expected at Dover between Friday and Sunday, with four hundred coaches anticipated on Friday alone [1]. While the automated fingerprint and photo capture is not yet operational, border officials are manually creating passenger profiles linked to the new system, which adds processing time [1]. The port advises passengers to arrive no more than two hours before their scheduled sailing and to have documents ready [1]. The EES is a new layer of border control for the Schengen Area, implemented following the UK's departure from the European Single Market and Customs Union on 1 January 2021 [2]. Border controls serve to monitor and regulate the movement of people across international frontiers, but they incur high economic and human costs [4]. The predicted impacts of Brexit included changes to border processes, with the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland being a particular focus [3]. Similar manual profile creation is occurring at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Folkestone, though operator Eurotunnel is not warning of delays [1]. At London St Pancras, Eurostar border police have been creating files, with most passengers yet to use the automated machines [1]. Easyjet's chief executive described problems caused by the EES as "unacceptable" but noted some reduction in queues [1]. The travel association ABTA reports strong demand for Mediterranean destinations this season [1].