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The European Commission has told member states that visitors from the UK will not be able to use e-passports from January 1. The British will be forced to join long lines of arrivals from the rest of the world, including the United States and China. And the European Tourism Association has warned that it means that just a plane arriving from the UK to popular destinations, such as Faro, Alicante or Tenerife, could take almost five hours to pass through a single passport lane.
British negotiators had asked Brussels to allow European countries to continue to give British tourists the same preferential treatment as now.
Electronic gates electronically scan biometric passports, which means that travelers do not have to be physically searched by a border guard.
They are installed at airports in the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as at Eurostar terminals in Paris, Brussels and London.
They can only be used by citizens of the 27 EU member states, as well as those of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Brits face huge queues after EU rejected fast lane passport offer (Image: GETTY)
Michel Barnier’s negotiators said the EU cannot allow British tourists to use electronic gates (Image: GETTY)
The Commission has rejected Britain’s offer to maintain reciprocal access to the expressways after the end of the post-Brexit transition period on December 31.
At a private meeting in Brussels this month, a leading Eurocrat told capitals: “EU law currently reserves the use of electronic gates for EU / EEA / CH passport holders.”
UK officials have warned their EU counterparts that their intransigence could lead to retaliation against European travelers arriving in Britain.
British ministers have previously said that they will continue to allow EU citizens to maintain access to the fast lanes when they arrive in the country after Brexit.
The dispute was confirmed by British and EU sources close to the dispute over the future relationship pact.
Busy European airports could leave Brits trapped for more than an hour in queues (Image: GETTY)
A source from the UK negotiating team said: “We have offered to discuss access to electronic gates in line with our previously published positions.”
Access to the EU gates has so far not been discussed in formal trade negotiations.
In accordance with the Political Declaration agreed between the Prime Minister and the EU last year, the UK Government has indicated its willingness to discuss reciprocal agreements as part of the EU’s broader interest in international mobility.
British officials are reviewing future arrangements for EU citizens at UK border gates.
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Lord Frost and Michel Barnier hold Brexit talks this weekend (Image: GETTY)
Visitors arriving from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the US, Singapore and South Korea can use express lanes at UK airports.
A senior EU diplomat said: “Having grown up in Brussels, Boris Johnson values the possibility of free travel to the continent. Therefore, it is perfectly appropriate that the UK is now asking the EU to change its own laws to suit London on a day that it always did.
“Probably another repeat of the ‘EU is being unfair’ awaits us, ‘we are just asking for a Canadian-style deal.’ It is not “.
A Conservative Brexiter MP said border queue threats would likely disappear once the UK and the EU agree on any post-Brexit trade deals.
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He said: “Right now, both sides are talking about a lot of nonsense because we are trying to reach an agreement with the EU.
“The truth of the matter is that if a free trade agreement is reached, and I think it will be in the next few days, I am sure that suggestions like queuing up to enter France will disappear.
“This is the kind of nonsense that circulates during negotiations.”
Studies have concluded that loss of access to electronic gateways and additional post-Brexit controls could add hours to airport wait times.
As it stands, border officials spend just 25 seconds checking passports, but this will increase by an additional 90 seconds for UK passengers.
Officials at Schiphol in Amsterdam, one of Europe’s largest airports, warned that this could mean lines of more than an hour for visitors arriving on flights with heavy traffic.
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