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Greece to fast-track UK visitors until EU entry-exit system is fixed, says minister
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Greece to fast-track UK visitors until EU entry-exit system is fixed, says minister

The Independent·Simon Calder·22 days ago
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After Greece decided unilaterally to scrap biometric border checks for British visitors , the tourism minister has said the “UK fast track” will continue until the EU entry-exit system (EES) is improved. Olga Kefalogianni told The Independent : “We aim to actually make sure that this facilitation is not just valid for this year.” Since 10 April, the European Commission has insisted that “ third-country nationals” including the British should have their details registered on a central database when crossing Schengen area frontiers. On the first entry or exit, the four fingerprints of the right hand plus a facial biometric should be collected. On subsequent crossings, only one biometric needs to be captured – almost always the face. According to officials in Brussels, all the Schengen nations agreed that they were ready for EES. But at some airports across Europe, British visitors have waited for hours to get through the border. Many have found they have to provide their fingerprints multiple times.…

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