EU Commissioner wants to see the long queues at Brussels Airport sorted before Christmas

A year ago, EU countries began rolling out a new Entry/Exit System (EES) that records the fingerprints and facial images of non-EU visitors entering the Schengen area or leaving the EU. The system has been fully operational since April.

Instead of having their passports stamped by a border guard, travellers must register via an EES kiosk. This involves, amongst other things, having their fingerprints and photographs taken.

At many airports, the new system led to long queues, also at Brussels Airport. Waiting times were particularly long during the summer months. But even last month, travellers sometimes had to queue for up to five hours.

The solution? To suspend the collection of fingerprints and facial images at busy times. “But since 6 September, that suspension is no longer possible,” Quintin’s office states.

“Some Member States are lagging behind a little,” acknowledges European Commissioner Brunner. “We are facing a number of challenges, for example at Zaventem, but also in other Member States. They must do their job. They have agreed to the new system, and now it is up to the Member States to carry out their tasks.”

Brunner emphasises that he has “a great deal of confidence” that the problems will be resolved before the next holiday period, at Christmas.

Whether that is feasible remains to be seen.

Quintin’s response

Quintin’s office tells VRT NEWS that “the federal police have been manning the 12 checkpoints in the arrivals hall at Brussels Airport for months and that, in addition, dozens of police officers are currently undergoing training to further strengthen the border control teams on a permanent basis”.

“Belgium, like several other Member States, submitted an action plan to the European Commission in September for the phased introduction of the EES at Brussels Airport, in order to avoid additional waiting times for travellers,” the office added.

Quintin’s spokesperson also told news outlet Politico that the airport can only process between 500 and 600 passengers from outside the Schengen area per hour, compared with nearly 3,500 passengers who may arrive between 6.00 am and 10.00 am on busy days.

The airport’s infrastructure “cannot cope with that demand”, the spokesperson is reported to have said, and the company must “implement far-reaching changes”.

Brussels Airport has not responded directly to the criticism from Brunner or Quintin but has stated in a written response that “all parties involved” are working to resolve the delays, including by testing new e-gates and pre-check-in kiosks and training more police officers. “The need for additional infrastructure is also being investigated,” the statement reads.

The airport also emphasises that changes have already been implemented. For example, two additional federal police checkpoints have been added, both in the departures and arrivals areas. In addition, 60 pre-registration kiosks are available, allowing travellers to enter certain details in advance before passing through border control.

ACI Europe (the European airport association) has also hit back in response to the criticism. According to them, there are structural flaws in the system. They are proposing a six-point plan to, for example, eliminate duplicate checks and to reintroduce the exception in the event of excessive waiting times.

‘It really works’

Brunner, meanwhile, remains convinced of the new system’s usefulness. "The entry and exit system has recorded nearly 230 million entries and exits via around 1,500 border crossings. The authorities have refused entry to around 80,000 people, including 2,000 who were considered a security risk due to links to activities such as terrorism or organised crime.”

“As you can see, it really does work. And it pays off,” the Austrian European Commissioner tells Politico.

“This is the most modern border management system in the world,” he adds. “We are compared to the US, to Canada, to other countries, and they are all jealous.”