[ChrisHurrey]

The EU-funded ‘PROTECT’ project is coordinated by the University of Reading UK and is partnered with the UK government and the Polish Border Guard. The aim is to look beyond the current self-service e-Gate systems and to create prototypes for a contactless, free-flowing, no-waiting passport control system which can be used in airports as well as at land borders. The project’s website gives more details.

We are eager to obtain business traveller opinions and there is an online survey for anyone interested.

[AMcWhirter]

ChrisHurrey – You mention land frontiers. Would that include Eurostar in light of these trials which are planned for later this year ?

Eurostar to “priority check” passengers?

[ChrisHurrey]

Re: Eurostar Scheme.
No. PROTECT is a different project. I could not say what is behind Eurostar’s idea, but it looks as though it might use advance passenger information (API) or even reservations data (PNR). Interesting though…

[MartynSinclair]

Chris – I note one of the questions your research is to answer

◾How do they fit with the EU’s own future border control plans?

I interested how seriously Europe will now consider the research & more important whether the US border control would agree to such innovation, especially when it is the Europeans undertaking the research..

I am all for innovative advancements to make crossing borders quicker and Q less, but at this moment in time, is there any guarantee the E Gates will still be in use for all us post Brexit?

Questionnaire answered…

[ChrisHurrey]

Martyn – Many thanks. The question you mention is a difficult one for anyone outside politics (I didn’t draft the questionnaire!) but we are trying to get as wide a spectrum of responses as possible – and yours is a particularly interesting one. We are looking 10-15 years ahead and no one knows what the political and security landscape will look like then. People looked askance at us when we introduced the IRIS prototype in 2002 and took a long time to warm to e-Gates. I am not sure we could possibly go back to the fully manual passport control (in the UK at least) because of lack of staff (don’t quote me!) and because of the inevitable lengthened queues.

[MartynSinclair]

@Chris, why would the EC fund a project post Brexit vote, about innovative border solutions (15 years hence), when there has been no comment about the position of E Gates after we have left the EU?

It seems bizarre to even think that the UK will continue with E Gates (for Europeans post Brexit), when there has been no comment about how UK citizens will be treated when arriving into Europe…

..and why is this project only involving UK & Poland… why not all of Europe??

… or am I missing something?

[ChrisHurrey]

Martyn – BREXIT is irrelevant as the funding is for a European project and the UK is just one of several members of the project consortium. The results of the research are to inform European border policy and technology industries. The UK benefits from the knowledge and outcomes but the systems may not be suitable for our border configuration of the future. From my experience, border agencies now look for the simplest and least resource-intensive way to clear passengers and probably e-Gates will remain available post-BREXIT. Despite the posturing and scaremongering of politicians, I guess self-service will become the default mechanism in the future for European travellers, except for those deemed ‘high risk’. The UK and Polish governments are involved as representative end-users on behalf of the rest of the EU.

[LuganoPirate]

Done. Not sure I like the idea though, and certainly not if I have to use my mobile phone. If you have to be connected to the internet the cost could be high.

[ChrisHurrey]

@LuganoPirate

The idea is that the mobile device will be connected to a local airport wireless network, not the cellular system, so there should be no cost.

[FDOS_UK]

Chris, I’ve completed the survey – as a longtime user of Iris/ABC in the UK and e-Gates in Dubai, as well as Parafe in France, I believe this is the way of the future.

I’ve also worked with some of the guys in Poland and have a high degree of trust in them, so let’s get it going.

[Author]

Posts