"Implementation of EES is not just a Kent problem – but a national one," says Logistics UK responding to Kent Council Leaders' letter to government

Wednesday 24 July 2024

Responding to the letter sent from Kent Council Leaders to the government regarding the implementation of the EU Entry and Exit System (EES),  Nichola Mallon, Head of Trade and Devolved Policy at business group Logistics UK, says: 

“The logistics sector is in wholehearted agreement with the sentiment expressed in the letter from Kent Council Leaders, urging the government to do everything in its power to reduce the risk of disruption when EES checks at the UK’s borders are introduced by the EU later this year. The Council Leaders rightly remind the government of the importance of the Short Straits as a critical UK EU trade route and point out that if Kent is gridlocked, supply chains will be fundamentally impacted, therefore the implementation of EES is not just a Kent problem – but a national one. 

“A quarter of all food imported into the UK from the EU passes through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, and while the short delay recently announced by the European Commission is welcomed, it doesn’t give enough time to address all the industry’s key concerns. The government must now do all it can to secure a further extension and a phased approach to the planned implementation of EES this autumn – ideally, logistics businesses need an app or web-based system to be developed and tested that would enable biometric scanning to take place away from the border to reduce congestion and delay. It is vital that a workable solution for the UK’s borders with the EU is found to protect the nation’s supply chain, both in Kent and nationwide. 

“In the meantime, government must urgently share its data analysis and scenario modelling with key strategic partners to enable them to coordinate their planning and response efforts and ensure they are sufficiently resourced to respond as needed.”  

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please get in touch - here.