An EU diktat that’s causing chaos across European airports has prompted politicians to beg for a change. The Partido Popular (PP) in the Canary Islands has announced it will take a proposal to the regional parliament calling on the Spanish Government to suspend the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) at airports across the archipelago. The move comes amid ongoing disruption at passport control, which the party claims has led to long queues and congestion, particularly affecting British tourists, who make up the islands’ largest visitor market.
David Morales, the PP’s tourism spokesperson in the Canary Islands Parliament, has questioned the implementation of the EES, which was due to be fully operational from April 10. He has argued that the rollout has fallen short of expectations and is impacting airport operations, with repeated scenes of overcrowding at border control points and extended waiting times for passengers. He also stressed the reputational damage caused by images circulating online which show long queues at airports such as Tenerife South, claiming this could harm the Canary Islands’ image as a smooth and welcoming destination.
According to Mr Morales, both tourism business organisations and police representatives had previously warned about the risk of saturation if the system was introduced without adequate preparation, reported Canarian Weekly.
To support its position, the PP has cited EU Regulation 2025/1534, which allows Member States to temporarily suspend the EES at specific border crossings due to technical failures or excessive traffic that causes significant delays. Mr Morales said the situation at airports, including Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, fits within those criteria and that a temporary suspension would allow flaws in the system to be addressed. The party insists the measure would be provisional while technical and operational shortcomings are resolved.
The PP has also pointed to what it describes as insufficient technological resources, a lack of adequately equipped biometric data capture systems and a shortage of National Police officers at airport border controls. Mr Morales has also called on AENA, the Spanish airport authority, to ensure that airport facilities are properly adapted to manage passenger flows, particularly during peak travel periods on routes to and from the UK, particularly as the summer season approaches.
Eleni Skarveli, director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in the UK, added that the move would ensure a “smoother and more efficient arrival experience in Greece” and that it “is expected to significantly reduce waiting times and ease congestion at airports”.
But Greece isn’t the only European country doing away with the new rules. Several countries have opted to do so after it resulted in massive delays, the latest being Switzerland, according to Travel World and Tour. It follows eight other major European travel destinations taking the decision, including Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, as per the outlet.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
