Lengthy delays for passengers travelling to and from the UK have been exacerbated by confusion over the documents EU citizens living in the UK need in order to return, according to the citizens’ rights agency set up under the Brexit deal.
The Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA), the agency set up under the terms of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU to protect the rights of EU nationals living in the UK, reported on Monday (25 July) that they had been made aware of instances where carriers are asking citizens to provide proof of their status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) prior to allowing them to travel or denying boarding where a valid national identity card has been provided.
However, citizens from the EU living in the UK currently have the choice between using a valid national identity card or a valid passport to enter the UK. The IMA said that it was “concerned that some carriers are restricting travel, contrary to the published guidance, by not accepting valid national identity cards prior to boarding and/or asking for proof of status under the EUSS.”
A post-Brexit blame game between UK and French government officials has erupted this week after holiday-makers trying to leave and return to the UK faced lengthy delays at the border checkpoints in the first week since UK schools broke up for the summer holidays.
An average wait of five to six hours has been reported at the port checkpoints at Dover and Folkestone, a combination of a return to the high volumes of tourism seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the introduction of new checks at the UK and French border control.
The UK government has faced repeated criticism from lawmakers and industry groups over its preparation for border policy changes having left the EU. The government also rejected a request by the port of Dover for £33 million from a Brexit infrastructure fund in 2020, which had set out plans to double the capacity for French passport checks.
While the UK government, and Tory leadership contender Liz Truss, have blamed the delays on insufficient numbers of French border control officials, Mark Simmonds, director of policy at the British Ports Association has said Brexit is responsible for the delays. “There’s a harder border than there was before,” Simmonds says. “We’ve been saying for years that extra checks would have an impact on capacity at certain ports.”
Truss, who has emerged as the favourite to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister, accused France of creating an “avoidable and unacceptable situation”.
However, the chief executive of Dover port, Doug Bannister, said that it was “absolutely true” that Brexit, namely the requirement for all passengers travelling to and from the UK to have passports stamped, was the main cause of delays.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
Source: euractiv.com
