If you have travelled through a European airport recently and found yourself waiting longer than usual at border control, there is a specific reason: the European Union rolled out a new digital border management system last October, and it is still bedding in. The Entry-Exit System (EES) is not a malfunction. It is a deliberate upgrade — and the delays some travellers are experiencing are a side effect of making Europe's borders significantly more secure.
What the Entry-Exit System is
The EES records non-EU citizens each time they enter or exit the EU, replacing the old system of manual passport stamping with modern biometric registration. It does not apply to EU citizens. Its purpose is straightforward: to track overstays, flag security risks, and bring Europe's border management into the digital age.
What this means for Cyprus
Cyprus has particular cause to follow both developments closely. According to a Commission source, Cyprus has not made use of start-up aid since the aviation guidelines were introduced in 2014, and there have been no regular State aid decisions concerning the two Cypriot airports beyond Covid-19 aid measures.
Cyprus has, however, established a PSO for the Larnaka-Brussels-Larnaka route. The establishment of PSOs is governed by Regulation 1008/2008 and will remain possible after the revised guidelines are adopted, providing continuity for the island's air connectivity framework.
The Commission has stated that it pays particular attention to the connectivity needs of islands within the EU, a commitment that will be closely watched by Cypriot authorities as the revised guidelines take shape.
The system in numbers
The scale of the EES is considerable. The system operates across 1,500 border crossing points in 29 countries, recording more than two million crossings every week and over 110 million entries and exits in total since launch. Since its introduction, authorities have already identified more than 1,000 persons presenting a security risk — a figure the Commission cites as early proof that the system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Summer pressures and airport challenges
With peak summer travel now under way, the Commission has acknowledged that some airports are experiencing difficulties. Crucially, however, Commission officials have drawn a clear distinction between EES-related delays and pre-existing structural problems at certain airports — staffing shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and limited capacity — which existed long before the new system was introduced.
In most EU airports, the impact on non-EU travellers has been limited. The Commission has convened a meeting with the aviation industry to address summer pressures, while Commissioner Brunner is in direct contact with ministers in relevant member states to assess what further support is needed.
Flexibility mechanisms and biometric suspension
The EES framework includes built-in flexibilities and fall-back procedures for exceptional circumstances. Where queues become unmanageable, member states can temporarily suspend the registration of biometrics. Several are already making use of this option.
Frontex deployment and pre-registration
The EU border agency Frontex is deploying staff to the busiest airports to assist with processing. It has also developed a pre-registration application available to all member states, allowing travellers to submit their data before arriving at the border, cutting processing times significantly.
Aviation state aid and connectivity
In a separate but related development, the Commission is reviewing feedback from a public consultation on revised aviation State aid guidelines, which closed on 11 June. The adoption of the revised guidelines is planned for the first quarter of 2027.
The review includes the question of start-up aid to airlines, an instrument rarely used since 2014. Reflection is ongoing as to whether such aid could promote connectivity for EU regions, including remote regions and islands. The Commission's position is that in a fully liberalised air transport market, airlines should bear their own operating costs and shoulder the risk of opening new routes.
For routes subject to Public Service Obligations (PSOs), existing State aid rules already provide flexibility to prevent essential connections from being interrupted.
