EU commissioner announces delay for new border system

A November 10 start date for a new EU border check system called the Entry Exit System (EES) is no longer feasible, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Thursday.

There is also no new timeline, Johansson said in a press conference in Luxembourg. "I hope that we can start as soon as possible," she added, depending on a planned legal assessment.

The possibility of a gradual introduction of the EES system was discussed.

EU interior ministers were meeting in Luxembourg to discuss migration, the European Union's visa-free travel zone, the Schengen area, and the rollout of the new border check system.

The British Newspaper the Financial Times first reported on the warnings from France, Germany and the Netherlands around the EES along with concerns from the travel industry for major disruption.

Before the meeting, the three countries told the European Commission that the new system was not stable enough yet and that the national tests required to introduce the EES have not been carried out.

It is expected that 40% of the traffic affected by the new EES will travel through these three countries, an EU diplomat said.

Johansson confirmed on Thursday that France, Germany and the Netherlands were the three countries that announced they were not ready.

The automated system requires travellers arriving in the bloc from a non-EU country to register their personal information like facial images and fingerprints at airports.