The European Union has again postponed the introduction of a fingerprint and face scanning system for non-EU citizens at all borders of the bloc, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
It was supposed to be deployed on November 10, but was postponed again after Germany, France, and the Netherlands said their systems were not ready.
At the same time, sources told the BBC that no real tests of the EU software have been conducted on UK border systems.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said that there is no new timetable for its implementation, but it will be introduced in stages.
"Obviously, we won't be ready by November 10," Johansson said, adding, "We will take a phased approach, step by step.
This delay is the latest in a long line of setbacks for the system, which was originally supposed to be introduced in 2022.
The EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council will meet next week to discuss the deployment of EES.
A German interior ministry official told Reuters that the three countries are not ready to introduce the system, as the EU agency in charge of it, EU-Lisa, has not yet made it sufficiently stable.
The French Interior Ministry told Reuters that the EES must be properly prepared.
Earlier this month, a representative of the European Commission said that "the implementation of a system such as the EES is a complex operation and delays cannot be completely ruled out.
Addendum
The verification system was originally supposed to go live in 2022, but faced a number of delays. It was postponed to May 2023, and then to the end of 2023, before a date was set for November 2024.