The European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, urged EU member states to "do their job" and prevent long queues for travelers at airports during the Christmas period. In an interview, he referred to the problems at Brussels Airport and called on member states to be prepared for the new entry and exit system.
Brunner's Criticism of Member States' Performance
Brunner emphasized that member states had ample time to prepare for the new entry and exit system and that the responsibility for these issues lies with them. He stated: "There are security issues, and this system must work properly. It is the duty of member states to do their job."
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The entry and exit system, which has been gradually implemented over the past year, registers the fingerprints and facial images of non-EU visitors to the Schengen area. This system has been fully operational at all external Schengen borders since April. However, it has led to long queues at many airports, especially last summer when some countries deactivated it during peak traffic.
Response from the Belgian Interior Minister and Brussels Airport
Brunner also pointed to the challenges at Brussels Zaventem Airport, where passengers waited in line for up to five hours last month. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quentyn responded to Brunner's criticisms, stating that it is his responsibility to ensure a sufficient number of police officers to support the infrastructure provided by Brussels Airport.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry stated that the police have fully staffed all 12 positions in the entry section, but the airport can only process 500 to 600 non-Schengen passengers per hour. Meanwhile, on busy days, the number of passengers arriving between 6 AM and 10 AM can reach nearly 3,500.
Brussels Airport did not provide a direct response to the criticisms from Brunner or Quentyn, only stating that "all stakeholders" are working to resolve the delays and are testing electronic gates and pre-registration kiosks.
Brunner also mentioned that the entry and exit system has recorded nearly 230 million entries and exits at around 1,500 border points and has denied entry to about 80,000 individuals, including 2,000 identified as security threats.
He added: "This system is the most modern border management system in the world, and we have comparisons with the United States and Canada, and they all envy it."
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