Travel Disruptions Caused by the New EU Entry/Exit System
歐盟新入境/出境系統導致旅遊中斷
Introduction
The European Union's move to a digital border control system has caused significant travel delays and operational problems at several airports and seaports.
歐盟轉向數位邊境管制系統，已導致多個機場與海港出現嚴重的旅遊延遲及營運問題。
Main Body
The Entry/Exit System (EES), which started in April, requires non-EU citizens entering the 29-nation Schengen area to provide biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial images. Although the goal was to modernize security and replace passport stamps, the system has faced many technical failures. Ryanair reported serious problems at seven locations, including airports in Spain, Italy, Poland, and France. These delays are mainly caused by a lack of staff and broken automated kiosks.
四月開始實施的入境/出境系統（EES），要求進入 29 個國家申根區的非歐盟公民提供生物辨識數據，例如指紋與面部影像。雖然目標是將安保現代化並取代護照蓋章，但該系統面臨許多技術故障。瑞安航空（Ryanair）報告在包括西班牙、義大利、波蘭及法國機場在內的七個地點出現嚴重問題。這些延遲主因是人手不足以及自動自助機故障。
There is a clear disagreement between EU officials and travel companies regarding the scale of the problem. The European Commission claims that the impact is small and that processing takes about 70 seconds on average. However, industry groups like ACI Europe and IATA emphasize that wait times have reached five hours during busy periods. This has led to passengers being stranded and planes leaving without all passengers. Similarly, the Port of Dover declared a 'critical incident' because the EES technology failed despite a £40 million investment.
歐盟官員與旅遊公司對於問題規模存在明顯分歧。歐盟委員會聲稱影響較小，處理時間平均約 70 秒。然而，如 ACI Europe 和 IATA 等業界團體則強調，在繁忙時段，候機時間已達五小時。這導致乘客受困，甚至發生飛機在乘客未到齊的情況下起飛。同樣地，多佛港（Port of Dover）也宣布進入「關鍵事件」狀態，因為 EES 技術儘管投入了 4,000 萬英鎊仍發生故障。
Furthermore, the lack of a shared technical system between different EU countries has created extra complexity. The World Travel and Tourism Council warned that these inefficiencies could risk approximately $45.4 billion in tourism spending. Consequently, industry leaders have asked President Ursula von der Leyen to pause the system until September, or even until 2027, to avoid a total collapse of border traffic during the busy summer season.
此外，不同歐盟國家之間缺乏共享的技術系統，增加了複雜性。世界旅遊及旅遊委員會（WTTC）警告，這些低效率可能會危及約 454 億美元的旅遊支出。因此，業界領袖要求歐盟委員會主席烏爾蘇拉·馮德萊恩（Ursula von der Leyen）將該系統暫停至九月，甚至延至 2027 年，以避免在繁忙的夏季旅遊旺季導致邊境交通全面崩潰。
Conclusion
The EES remains a major point of conflict between EU regulators and travel operators, who are demanding immediate changes to prevent a system failure this summer.
EES 仍是歐盟監管機構與旅遊營運商之間的主要衝突點，後者要求立即進行變更，以防止今年夏天系統崩潰。
Vocabulary Learning
🚀 The 'Cause-and-Effect' Engine
To move from A2 to B2, you must stop using only "and" or "because." B2 students use Connectors of Consequence. These words act like a bridge, showing how one event creates a specific result.
🔍 Analysis from the Text
Look at how the article links problems to results:
- "...the system has faced many technical failures. Consequently, industry leaders have asked... to pause the system."
- "...the EES technology failed despite a £40 million investment."
🛠️ The B2 Upgrade Path
| A2 Level (Basic) | B2 Level (Advanced/Fluent) | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| So... | Consequently, / As a result, | Direct Result |
| But... | Despite [Noun/ing] / However, | Contrast/Surprise |
| Because... | Due to [Noun] | Origin of problem |
💡 Pro-Tip: The "Despite" Trap
An A2 student says: "Despite it was expensive, it failed." (Wrong!)
A B2 student knows that Despite must be followed by a noun or a -ing verb:
- Despite the investment... (Noun)
- Despite spending millions... (-ing verb)
📈 Putting it together
Instead of saying: "The kiosks were broken so the planes left without people."
Try: "The automated kiosks were malfunctioning; consequently, several flights departed without all their passengers."