Leaders of the County Council and the District and Borough Councils of Kent have called on the Government to do everything in its power to reduce the risk of disruption across Kent and Medway when EES (Entry Exit System) checks are introduced by the EU later this year.
They have written to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, highlighting that the potential disruption at the border between the UK and France threatens to seriously impact international trade and travel through Kent.
The letter states that Kent is the gateway to Europe, with the Short Straits being the most important entry point to the continent for the whole of the UK. The route is therefore critical to the supply chain of this country, as a quarter of all food imported into the UK from the EU passes through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.
“If Kent is gridlocked,” the Council leaders argue, “supply chains will be fundamentally impacted, and therefore the implementation of EES checks is not just a Kent problem — but a national problem.”
In the summer of 2022, severe congestion on the approaches to both Port of Dover and Eurotunnel caused long delays, with tourists stuck in queues for over 14 hours.
Initial data analysis carried out by partners in the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) suggests that the impact of introducing of EES checks on tourist traffic crossing the Channel is expected to be much worse and will occur on a regular basis.
For now, the letter points out, Operation Brock and Dover TAP are the only tools available to the KMRF to manage traffic flow into Dover, which frequently has such a huge impact on Kent’s strategic road network.
Arguing that more time is needed to address the transport industry’s key concerns, the warning has been supported by Logistics UK.
It has welcomed the decision by the European Commission to delay the implementation of EES until November 2024 but has urged the Government to try to secure a further extension.
