The European Commission is allowing several Schengen countries, including France, extra time to phase in the EU Entry/Exit System after the end of temporary flexibility on 6 September. The biometric border regime remains in force, but congestion, technical problems and uneven local readiness are forcing some airports, ferry ports and external border crossings to keep partial workarounds in place.
France and eight other countries are understood to have asked for more room to apply the system without disrupting passenger flows, with border authorities still facing queues, missed connections and unreliable pre-registration equipment at busy points. Industry groups including ACI, IATA and Airlines for Europe have warned that the rollout is creating operational strain rather than the faster processing the system was meant to deliver.
The latest reports point to a patchwork implementation rather than a single EU-wide suspension. Major hubs appear to be coping better than smaller or less prepared crossings, while the Commission continues to press ahead with the wider scheme across Schengen’s external borders. The core issue now lies in how quickly individual states can move from limited flexibility to full biometric enforcement without worsening disruption.