{"id":130167,"date":"2025-05-25T08:19:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/130167\/"},"modified":"2025-05-25T08:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:19:14","slug":"minsters-beg-european-countries-to-allow-britons-to-use-e-gates-ahead-of-summer-holiday-exodus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/130167\/","title":{"rendered":"Minsters beg European countries to allow Britons to use e-gates ahead of summer holiday exodus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ANNA MIKHAILOVA DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY <\/p>\n

Published: 19:32 EDT, 24 May 2025 | Updated: 21:40 EDT, 24 May 2025 <\/p>\n

Ministers are begging European countries to allow Britons to use e-gates before the summer holidays because the deal agreed with Brussels<\/a> will not start soon enough.<\/p>\n

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to European counterparts including Greece<\/a> urging them to allow Brits to use e-gates \u2018now\u2019.<\/p>\n

In a letter to Greece\u2019s deputy foreign minister, he wrote: \u2018It would be greatly appreciated if Greece could also offer access to e-gates where they are available at the border as soon as possible, including on a temporary basis now.’<\/p>\n

Mr Thomas-Symonds added: \u2018Being able to use e-gates at Greece\u2019s airports would be a significant symbol of the friendship our two countries share.\u2019<\/p>\n

Announcing his reset with Brussels, Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> said the move to allow British travellers to use European e-gates was one of the key elements of the deal.<\/p>\n

The Government said there would not be any legal barriers to British travellers using more e-passport gates in EU countries.<\/p>\n

The Prime Minster said: \u2018This partnership helps British holidaymakers, who will be able to use e-gates when they travel to Europe, ending those huge queues at passport control.\u2019<\/p>\n

But the Association of British Travel Agents has said the deal \u2018won\u2019t impact this summer\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Cabinet <\/p>\n

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds (right) has written to European counterparts urging them to allow Brits to use e-gates \u2018now\u2019. Above, last week he and\u00a0and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic (left) attended the EU-UK Summit<\/p>\n

\"British <\/p>\n

British tourists are expected to have to endure passport-stamping queues in most EU countries until at least October and possibly well into 2026<\/p>\n

British tourists\u00a0are expected to have to endure passport-stamping queues in most EU countries until at least October and possibly well into 2026 as the e-gates implementation will be phased.<\/p>\n

So ministers have started asking the individual countries instead to allow early access to their e-gates.<\/p>\n

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said: \u2018The Prime Minister has lied to British public yet again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘His claim that he joyfully made on Monday that British tourists would benefit from his EU surrender agreement by getting through e-gates when they travel to Europe was just another blatant Starmer lie.<\/p>\n

\u2018The facts are as follows: Europe has followed in Britain\u2019s footsteps by developing an electronic entry and exit system and this has been under way for a number of years and is due to fully launch in October.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is a fact that some airports already allow UK passport holders to use e-gates, and this new agreement doesn\u2019t guarantee anything further.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Each EU country retains the right to decide individually, meaning there\u2019s no certainty, no timeline, and no real improvement secured.\u2019<\/p>\n

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