British travellers allowed to use e-gates at more airports in Europe
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British passport holders will soon be allowed to use electronic passport gates again when flying from EU airports after a deal was struck between the EU and the UK.
The ‘reset’ deal, designed to restart the relationship between the UK and the European Union following Brexit, was confirmed after Sir Keir Starmer met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London earlier today.
In the full list of changes, more tourists will be able to use e-gates at airports in Europe, pet passports will be introduced for UK cats and dogs, and businesses can sell burgers and sausages into Europe again.
The Prime Minister described the deal as good for people’s wallets and jobs, while insisting that it does not mark a return to ‘freedom of movement’ after facing criticism from Brexiteers.
What has been agreed?
The e-gate agreement is set to bring tangible benefits to British travellers.
Passengers will no longer have to wait at manned desks to have their passports stamped, but they can use the e-gates instead, which were previously reserved for EU or EEA passports only.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, said: ‘This is excellent news for British holidaymakers and will enable an even smoother passenger experience for families travelling to the EU.’
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Meanwhile, cats and dogs will be able to travel ‘more easily’ as the animal health certificates currently needed for every trip to the EU will be ‘eliminated,’ the government said.
The so-called sausage war,in place since January 2021, will also end as routine checks on plant and animal products will be removed completely.
A fishing agreement will see European fishing boats’ access to British waters until 2038.
Where can British travellers use e-gates?
E-gates have become a standard feature at many airports across the EU, but Brits have not been able to use most of them.
British passport holders can currently use e-gates at a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal.
The electronic gates use facial recognition technology to scan the passport and the passenger.
Passengers using traditional desks at airports often face long queues – especially during peak travel times.
Vessels from the EU will be allowed to fish in the UK waters for 12 years, while there is no reduction in the quota dictating how much British ships can catch.
Fishermen’s representatives said the ‘horror’ deal will be ‘disastrous’ for Scottish vessels.
Elspeth Macdonald from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said: ‘This deal is a horror show for Scottish fishermen, far worse than Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit agreement.
‘It is clear that Sir Keir Starmer made the whole deal on the backs of our fishermen and coastal communities, granting EU vessels 12 years of continuous access to UK waters at the last minute in order secure other objectives.
‘This highlights the total indifference of the British political establishment to the interests of our fishing sector, with Sir Keir becoming the third prime minister after Edward Heath and (Boris) Johnson to betray the industry.’
However, Phil Taylor, from the marine conservation charity Open Seas, saidthe fishing debate was ‘missing the point’ as some UK fishing companies are EU-owned and ‘a number of Scottish boats are still landing more than half their catch directly to the continent.’
He said: ‘The question politicians need to resolve is how this deal will actually deliver for our seas, and what conditions will be put on any fishing businesses accessing the public resource that is the sea – regardless of where they are from.’
When asked whether the PM has ‘sold out fishermen,’ Sir Keir said the deal means ‘our fishing communities are able to sell more easily into the European market.’
Shellfish exports from the UK to the EU will also be allowed, which ‘wasn’t available before this deal,’ the Prime Minister said.
Defence has also been one of the major topics on the table.
An agreement was reached on a security and defence partnership, which could eventually give the UK access to the £150 billion EU defence fund that grants firms access to funding, cooperation and joint procurement.
This could give a boost to UK companies and create jobs in the industry, which employs around 164,000 people.
Youth movement scheme has also been a sticking point, causing an uproar in the UK.
It could allow tens of thousands of young people from the UK to move to an EU country and vica versa.
Conservatives labelled it free movement ‘by the back door.’
However, the government insisted that the number of people using the scheme would be capped.
Sir Keir announced the UK will take part in a ‘youth experience scheme,’ which will include visa requirements and limitations.
The announcement on steel will be welcome news to the industry and communities relying on it.
British steel exports will be protected from new EU rules and tariffs. This could save the UK steel industry around £25 million a year.
How will the reset deal affect trade?
Trade is also being discussed after red tape has forced food lorries to wait for ’16 hours, fresh food in the back not able to be exported because frankly it’s just going off,’ Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said.
New trading terms between the UK and the bloc could reduce the lorry queues, including at Dover, where holidaymakers have been caught in traffic on their way to the ferry terminal.
Food and drink exports and imports will become easier after a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, the government confirmed. This could reduce prices for consumers.
Supermarkets and retailers have accused the red tape checks of costing them an extra £2 billion a year.
What have politicians said about the reset deal?
Reform leader Nigel Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the deal of being a ‘surrender’ ahead of further details.
However, the Conservative peer Lord Rose, who is the former chairman of Marks & Spencer, said the government’s deal with the EU is a ‘win.’
He told Times Radio that describing the agreement as a surrender is ‘pathetic.’
Lord Rose said it has been five years since the Brexit deal in 2020 and there has been ‘massive global change.’
‘And the UK is finding itself increasingly stranded now. And we’ve got to find a role for ourselves,’ he said.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds defended the youth movement scheme, saying it is ‘nothing at all like freedom of movement.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK already has 13 of these kinds of schemes with countries and ‘they are capped’ and ‘time-limited.’
Badenoch said the early details of the deal are ‘very concerning.’
She said: ’12 years access to British waters is three times longer than the government wanted.
‘Absolutely not freedom of movement by the back door’
Anand Menon, a professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London, told Metro that many aspects of the deal are likely to have ‘tangible benefits’ for British people.
He argued that studies showed that Brexit led to higher food price inflation that ‘we would have otherwise had.’
The expert said: ‘Brexit was a trade-off between control and economic wellbeing.
‘The more you impose controls, the greater of a cost for your economy.
‘The government is saying we are willing to forego a bit of control to ease trade across the border.’
He said the youth movement scheme is ‘absolutely not freedom of movement by the back door.’
‘Free movement was visa-free movement, which gave the right to live inother countries,’ he explained.
When asked who was the winner and loser of the deal, Anand said the ‘UK wanted something from the EU’ and that ‘in that sense the EU had quite a strong negotiating hand, because we wanted something from them.’
‘We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again. And with no details on any cap or time limits on youth mobility, fears of free movement returning will only increase.’
Farage said the potential agreement on fishing could be the ‘end of the fishing industry.’
While fishing was a major sore point during Brexit, it makes up only 0.4% of the UK’s GDP.
Conservatives said their ‘red lines’ include fishing rights like resisting ‘a multi-year agreement which only benefits France’ and exclusive access to Britain’s territorial waters, iNews reports.
Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins said: ‘The Conservatives have always stood up for our coastal communities, and our fishing industries.
‘Labour must not throw our fishing rights overboard in their desperation to bail out their failing fiscal policies’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the deal that he said will ‘reset our relationship with our biggest trading partner and put our capital, country and continent on course for a more secure and prosperous future.’
He said: ‘I am delighted that the Government and EU have agreed in principle to deliver a new scheme for young people. This will give young Brits and Londoners – and their European counterparts – access to exciting new opportunities, and crucially allow us to fill vacancies in some of our key sectors.
‘Brexit has dragged our economy down and pushed up the cost of living, but this deal will undo some of the damage it has caused.
‘Given the millions of journeys taken from London every year, it is also important that the Government has reached an agreement for British holidaymakers to use e-gates across Europe, reducing airport queues this summer.
‘I hope this agreement is a springboard for further deals and closer alignment in other key sectors – such as our financial services and our major creative sectors – all vital to our capital’s prosperity.’
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