Delays to EES border checks will affect the supply chain: Logistics UK responds

Thursday 03 October 2024

Responding to reports that the EU’s Entry/ Exit Scheme (EES) may be delayed past November 2024, Nichola Mallon, Head of Trade and Devolved Policy at business group Logistics UK, says:

“The situation around EES is now critical and government needs to accelerate its diplomatic engagement with the European Commission to clarify when the system will be implemented. The Commission’s official position is still that it will be “starting in the second half of 2024” but no proper testing of the system at the Port of Dover has yet taken place, so this seems an ambitious target, to say the least.  

“The new border checks required as part of EES will mean all non-EU nationals entering the EU, including those travelling from GB, will have to submit biometric information at the border. The Short Straits is a critical GB EU supply chain route, any congestion, disruption and delay at this border as passengers are processed will have a negative impact on GB exports to the EU with knock on implications for import trade.  With the worst-case scenarios* estimating delays of up to 14 hours for passengers, this would add a cost of £1,100 per truck - a cost which, given the tight profit margins logistics businesses already operate under, would have to be passed on to their customers and the end consumer. 

“The UK’s supply chain is reliant on the export and import of goods when they are needed - delays could have a significant impact on the availability of goods if an app-based solution is not implemented as part of the roll out of the EES system to take some pressure away from the border along this critical trading route. The availability of this App, and assurances that the IT system underpinning EES is tried, tested and robust, have to be key elements in determining SEU Member state readiness and the final go live date to ensure the continued flow of trade.”

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.

*Source: Ashford Borough Council representation to the European Scrutiny Committee in Westminster