SCOTS are set to face new entry requirements when travelling into the European Union.
From October 6 2024, a new EU digital border system requiring fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch, according to the i and Times newspapers.
Eurotunnel is said to be testing the technology, collecting personal data at borders and entering it into an EU-wide database.
With the entry/exit system (EES), passengers would have to agree to fingerprinting and facial image capture the first time they arrived on the continent. The idea is that this should then allow for quicker processing in the future, although significant delays are initially expected.
The SNP slammed the requirements as “strict”, and their Europe and EU accession spokesperson, Alyn Smith (below), said this was the “reality of broken, Brexit Britain”.
He added: “The Leave campaign promised free trade with the rest of the world, yet the UK cannot even continue negotiations with a close ally in the US.
"They also promised control over immigration, yet it is the EU which is updating its border infrastructure.
"Brexiteers promised that the UK would hold all the cards, yet the reality has exposed this was simply a bluff.
"However, with the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour refusing to accept reality, it's clear that only the SNP will stand up for the people and businesses of Scotland by offering a route back into the EU.
“The Scottish Government’s ‘Building a New Scotland’ series demonstrates that, unlike the Leave campaign, we have done our homework. Our roadmap demonstrates clearly how we will build a better future for the people of Scotland through independence in Europe instead of being weighed down by the decisions of chaotic UK governments.
"I am confident that when presented with the choice again, the people of Scotland will go for a brighter future in the EU rather than the decaying status quo of the UK."
