European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged that the European Union’s newly implemented digital Entry/Exit System (EES) is experiencing "technical problems," noting that there is "still quite a lot of work" required alongside member states to fix the ongoing issues.

 

Von der Leyen admits ‘technical problems’ with new EU airport border checks

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged that the European Union’s newly implemented digital Entry/Exit System (EES) is experiencing "technical problems," noting that there is "still quite a lot of work" required alongside member states to fix the ongoing issues. Her admission comes in response to immense pressure from the aviation industry, as the new biometric border checks have caused extensive travel disruptions across European airports during the peak summer holiday season.

 

The Core Issues and Travel Impact

• Five-Hour Delays: Industry groups report that waiting times at border control have spiked drastically, reaching up to five hours during peak traffic hours.
• Half-Empty Flights: Passengers are getting stuck in terminal queues so long that airlines are forced to depart with half-empty aircraft to preserve tight scheduling windows.
• Summer Surge: The bottlenecks are exacerbating an already stressed infrastructure as European airports prepare to process an additional 40 million passengers over July and August.
• The EES Mandate: Fully implemented in April 2026, the system requires all non-EU travelers to submit facial scans and fingerprint biometric data upon their initial entry into the Schengen zone, replacing manual passport stamps.

Industry Pushback and Next Steps

In a joint letter sent to Von der Leyen, major industry bodies—including Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, Airlines for Europe, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA)—have formally requested the authority to "completely suspend" EES biometric collections through July and August where lines exceed capacity. They are urging a temporary return to traditional passport controls to save Europe's travel reputation.

While several individual ports and airports have already paused biometric collection during peak hours to clear queues, the European Commission continues to maintain the long-term necessity of the system. Officials highlight that since the soft launch began late last year, the EES has logged over 108 million travelers and successfully flagged roughly 1,000 security risks. The Commission is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting with aviation leaders on July 7 to address the technical bottlenecks.