Britons warned of 14-hour delays under EU IT system

LONDON, Jan 25 (AFP): Britons travelling to France were warned on Thursday they could face 14-hour delays at a port under a computerised border scheme proposed by the European Union.
All visitors entering the EU-with visas or visa waivers-will soon find themselves having to go through the automated EU Entry/Exit System (EES).
Its implementation has been much delayed but is currently due to begin in October.
The system will record a non-EU national's details and biometric data along with their date of entry and exit, keeping track of overstays and refused entries.
The UK parliament's European Scrutiny Committee, which is hearing evidence on the plan, was told the scheme could cause lengthy queues at Dover, a key ferry route to northern France.
Ashford Borough Council, a local authority in the county of Kent, said 14-hour delays were a "reasonable worst case" scenario if the programme is implemented as currently planned.
It warned the delays could cause queues on motorways and block access to traffic heading to the Eurotunnel in nearby Folkestone.
The council added that "without useable systems" in place, the scheme would cause considerable disruption to the local economy and residents.
Conservative MP Bill Cash, chair of the European Scrutiny Committee and an arch-Eurosceptic, said the evidence "paints an alarming picture of the possible risks" surrounding the implementation of the plan.