Ministers are pleading with European nations to permit British citizens to utilize e-gates ahead of the summer vacations as the agreement is still pending.
agreed with Brussels
won’t begin rapidly enough.
Minister for Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds has penned a letter to his European peers including
Greece
encouraging them to permit Brits to utilize e-gates ‘at present’.
In a letter to Greece’s deputy foreign minister, he stated: “Greece’s prompt consideration of providing access to e-gates wherever they are available at the borders, even temporarily for now, would be highly valued.”
Mr Thomas-Symonds added: “The ability to utilize e-gates at Greece’s airports would serve as a substantial emblem of the camaraderie between our two nations.”
Announcing his reboot with Brussels, Sir
Keir Starmer
indicated that permitting British travelers to utilize European electronic gates was a crucial component of the agreement.
The government stated that there wouldn’t be any legal hurdles for British travelers when utilizing additional e-passport gates in European Union nations.
The Prime Minister stated: “This agreement benefits British vacationers as they can now utilize e-gates upon traveling to Europe, eliminating those long waits at passport control.”
However, the Association of British Travel Agents has stated that the agreement won’t affect this summer’s travel plans.
British travelers are anticipated to face lengthy passport-control lines in the majority of EU nations up until at least October, with potential extensions potentially lasting through 2026, due to the gradual rollout of e-gate systems.
Therefore, ministers have begun requesting that each country grants earlier access to their e-gates.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel stated: “The Prime Minister has deceived the British public once more.”
The assertion he happily put forward on Monday stating that British tourists would gain advantages from his EU concession deal by using e-gates during their travels within Europe was merely yet another outright falsehood attributed to Starmer.
Here are the details: Europe has emulated Britain by implementing an electronic entry and exit system, which has been in development for several years and is scheduled to be fully operational in October.
‘It is true that certain airports currently permit UK passport holders to utilize e-gates, and this recent accord does not ensure any additional benefits.’
‘Every EU nation has the autonomy to make individual decisions, which means there’s uncertainty, no set timeline, and no genuine improvements guaranteed.’
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