The “Great Britain” crisis between Greece and the European Union

Greece has announced that it is suspending the mandatory collection of fingerprints and facial recognition data from British tourists this summer as part of the European Union’s (EU) new digital border system. This unilateral decision by Athens has caused a confrontation with Brussels.
“Elchi” reports that the Greek Embassy in London stated that British passport holders will be exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossings.
With this decision, unlike the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) rules that came into effect on April 10, British visitors’ passports will continue to be manually checked and stamped.
Goal: To prevent congestion at airports
Eleni Skarveli, Director of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) for Great Britain, stated that the purpose of this step is to provide a more comfortable and efficient experience upon arrival in Greece.
Long queues and delayed flights caused by the new system in countries like Italy and Spain influenced Athens’ decision. In particular, while American and Australian tourists will continue to use biometric devices at Athens airport, British citizens will use the old passport control method.