The European Entry Exit System (EES), the new external frontier of the European Union, comes into force in the autumn. The expected date of implementation had for some time been 6 October, although there are now widespread expectations that it will be delayed a little, until 10 November or another Sunday later in the month.
The consequences of this for Kent are potentially significant, reflecting the pressures which these new checks will put on the points of exit, especially the Port of Dover, which could then spill over onto the road network, creating major disruption. At Kent County Council, we have been raising the issue for a number of years and earlier this year I gave evidence on the issue to a parliamentary committee.
Last week, Leaders of all 14 councils in the historic county (KCC, Medway and the 12 Districts and Boroughs) signed a letter to government setting out our concerns and urging action to share information, coordinate communication both with Kent residents and nationally, accelerate measures that can ease pressure on the highly constrained Eastern Docks in particular and to work with France and the EU to manage the implementation in a flexible way. The letter also reminded ministers that this is an occasion not only to address the immediate issues of the EES but also the long-running pressures that the border issue puts on the county, reflected in the use of Operation Brock.
There are some encouraging signs. The previous week saw a visit from the new roads minister, Lilian Greenwood, and the last two weekends have proved relatively manageable if occasionally difficult, reflecting the start of the summer getaway and (for the first weekend) the impact of the worldwide IT outage. This positive performance reflected, among other things, the deployment of a permit system for freight vehicles and the active role played by the French border authorities, the PAF.
Nonetheless, the risks remain severe and there is a lot to be done. The joint letter is part of that effort.
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