UK and France Boost Border Staffing to Avert Summer Travel Chaos

The UK and France have agreed to increase staffing at border controls to prevent severe delays from the EU's new biometric entry-exit system (EES).

• UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced £20 million in government funding to increase capacity for processing vehicles and reduce wait times at border points.
• French border police have offered to deploy more officers on UK soil at Dover, Folkestone, and London St Pancras to better staff passport booths.
• The EU has rejected calls to suspend the EES, which requires passengers entering Schengen countries to scan passports and provide fingerprints and photos.
• Delays at the Port of Dover during the May half-term reached four-and-a-half hours, and the port expects nearly 50% more vehicles this summer.