Eurotunnel operator Getlink has reached a deal with the European Commission to test drive-through biometric checks at Folkestone and Calais under a two-year trial. Equipped with advanced cameras already used at Paris and Rome airports, the system allows motorists to record fingerprints and facial data without leaving their vehicles. Although 120 kiosks are ready on both sides of the crossing, the launch remains stalled because the French network connection is not yet operational. The delay is part of broader technical struggles facing the European Union's Entry and Exit System, which was originally scheduled to begin on 9 September.
Key points
Travellers will register required biometrics under remote police monitoring without needi…: Travellers will register required biometrics under remote police monitoring without needing in-person supervision for every registration.
Eurotunnel owner Getlink aims to make the temporary two-year border processing arrangemen…: Eurotunnel owner Getlink aims to make the temporary two-year border processing arrangement permanent if the trial succeeds.
The European Union has initiated legal action against IBM and two other contractors over…: The European Union has initiated legal action against IBM and two other contractors over delays in the broader border system rollout.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Airport-style passport and fingerprinting controls are to be introduced at Eurotunnel in an attempt to prevent “short-term and long-term chaos” in Folkestone and Calais.
In a breakthrough for travellers, the European Commission has agreed to a new system in which an “eagle eye” camera system, already used in Rome and Paris airports to supervise fingerprinting and facial imaging, will be used at the border between the UK and France.
Yann Leriche, the chief executive of Getlink, the Eurotunnel owner, said it had tried to replicate the “airport experience” but wanted to go much further.
Instead of getting out of the car and getting biometrics taken at a terminal building, holidaymakers and business travellers will now be greeted with special drive-through terminals in Folkestone and Calais.
Both sides are now equipped with 120 kiosks under the case of an eagle-eye camera that will be monitored by police, similar to e-gates at airports where police are not physically present at each gate.
In the coming weeks, Leriche will meet UK and French authorities presenting a 40-page proposal to allow Eurotunnel to become…
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