After numerous delays and setbacks, the EU’s long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES) may soon be rolling out at a border near you.

On 4 December, the European Commission (EC) proposed a progressive start of operations for the EES, Europe’s new digital border system for non-EU nationals.

Once the proposal has been approved and the EC has set a start date, member states will have six months to deploy it.

Yesterday, the EU’s official EES website confirmed the system will begin in 2025, though no exact date was given. Meaning that nearly nine years after the EES was proposed, it might finally happen.

Here’s what you need to know about how Americans, Brits and other non-EU countries will cross borders into the bloc

What is the EES?

The Entry/Exit System will be an automated registration system for UK and other non-EU travellers who don’t require avisa to enter the EU.

Travellers will need to scan theirpassports or other travel document at a self-service kiosk each time they cross an EU external border. It will not apply to legal EU citizens or residents or those with long-stay visas.

The system will register the traveller’s name, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit.Facial scans and fingerprint data will be taken every three years and are valid for multiple trips within that period.

Why is the EES being implemented and in which countries?

The EES will apply to non-EU citizens – including UK nationals – who come to the bloc for visits, holidays or business and stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

EU officials say the system is being introduced to bolster border security and identify travellers who overstay their permitted time in the Schengen Area (90 days within a 180 day period).

“With the EES, we will know exactly who enters the Schengen Area with a foreign passport,” Ylva Johannson, the EU’s former home affairs commissioner, said in an August speech at eu-LISA, the agency overseeing Europe’s large-scale IT systems.

It will apply when entering all EU member states, apart fromCyprus and Ireland, as well as four non-EU countries in the Schengen Area:Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The EES has faced delay after delay

At eu-LISA in August, Johansson declared that the EES would be ready to launch before her five-year tenure would end in November.

“The moment is finally here,” she said. “There may have been times you believed it [would] never happen. But it is going to happen. Everything is coming together.”

But two months later, Johansson announced that the system’s 10 November launch date would be delayed again. It marked the fourth time the rollout had been pushed back.

Johansson noted that France, Germany and the Netherlands – countries that collectively receive more than 100 million tourists per year – told the EC they were not ready to implement the system, voicing concerns about a lack of practical testing.

Previous delays have been blamed on IT issues and the installation of new automated barriers required at all international land, maritime and air borders in the Schengen Area. Some airports reported having to reinforce their floors to accommodate the heavy new scanners.

What entering the Schengen Area will look like in the years ahead

While an official launch date has yet to be announced, there was never any question of whether the EES would eventually happen.

The gradual approach appears to give the participating nations more flexibility to fine-tune their technology and navigate unexpected issues.

The goal, according to the EC, is to have the new system working at 10 per cent of border crossings in every member state on day one. During this soft launch period, travellers’ passports will continue to be stamped, as well as electronically recorded.

After six months, the EC expects the EES to be fully operational.

Another six months after the EES is up and running, travellers will also need to apply for the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a visa-waiver programme for travellers between the ages of 16 and 70.

The ETIAS will cost €7 and be valid for three years.

While an app designed to streamline entry and exit from Europe is also in development, its ability to capture required biometric data such as fingerprints remains unclear.

Europe’s rail services fall short of expectations and expensive ticket prices don’t necessarily translate to higher-quality services, a new report has found.

The survey from the campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) ranked 27 different rail operators across the continent. Each was evaluated on eight different criteria: ticket prices, special fares and reductions, reliability, booking experience, compensation policies, traveller experience, night trains and cycling policy.

It comes amid a growing consensus that rail travel in Europe needs to be improved with T&E saying it underlines the need for industry-wide reforms.

Which rail operators are the best in Europe?

Italy’s Trenitalia came out on top of T&E’s ranking, earning an average score of 7.7 out of 10, with the operator standing out for its travel experience. It is followed by Switzerland’s SBB with a score of 7.4 which was found to have the most punctual trains in Europe.

Also with a score of 7.4 was Czechia’s RegioJet, which has some of the most affordable ticket prices in the continent, according to the report.

Which rail operators are the worst in Europe?

Eurostar was at the bottom of the list with an average score of 4.9 out of 10 across the eight criteria. T&E says this reflects its steep prices – which are worth 25 per cent of the score – and poor reliability.

The report found that Eurostar was almost twice as expensive as other European operators on routes of comparable lengths.

A Eurostar spokesperson says the operator is “surprised” by the survey results and doesn’t agree with the conclusions of the report.

They point to recent changes since the data was collected, saying the booking experience is now the same for all trains, cycling policies have been updated, and a service to buy discounted last-minute fares has been relaunched.

The Eurostar spokesperson adds that automated refunds aren’t offered to allow customers to choose the type of compensation they want to receive.

“We are confident that if this report were redone again, the scores would be higher,” the operator says.

Eurostar is joined at the bottom of the list by Greece’s high-speed Hellenic Train, and France’s low-cost rail service Ouigo.

What are the most reliable rail operators in Europe?

Reliability and ease of booking are worth 15 per cent of an operator’s score in the ranking.

In the top three overall, Switzerland’s SBB is in the lead for reliability alongside Belgium’s SNCB, and Spain’s Renfe.

When it comes to booking experience, SBB also tops the list, followed by Deutsche Bahn and Austria’s ÖBB. This covers features like how long tickets are offered in advance and if they can be sold by external platforms.

Just 11 out of the 27 operators included in the survey achieved punctuality rates over 80 per cent, however.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, Portugal’s CP, and Sweden’s Snälltåget rank lowest for reliability.

What are the most and least expensive rail operators in Europe?

Comparing price per kilometre, travelling by train in the UK was particularly expensive. Great Western Railway was the most pricey, with fares two and half times higher than the average EU/Swiss operator.

Eurostar was the second worst for price – at twice the price of other European operators. The report notes that it is noticeably expensive when compared to other international rail companies, costing up to five times as much as RegioJet.

The third most expensive was the UK’s Avanti West Coast, with fares one and a half times more than the average EU/Swiss operator.

The most cost-competitive operator in Europe was Germany’s new entrant, Flixtrain. It was found to be four times cheaper than Deutsche Bahn, the main rail operator it competes with in Germany. Ouigo and RegioJet join Flixtrain in the top three most affordable operators.

For special fares, like discounts for families or specific age groups, Bulgaria’s BDZ, Portugal’s CP, Greece’s Hellenic Trains, Sweden’s SJ, and Italian operators Italo and Trenitalia scored the best out of the 27 operators.

The report also found that high prices don’t necessarily mean better service. ÖBB and Trenitalia had some of the best price-to-quality ratios in Europe, while Eurostar and Avanti had high fares but were found to deliver subpar services.

High ticket prices are ‘driving passengers away’

Victor Thévenet, rail policy manager at T&E, says the “ticket” to making rail travel accessible to all Europeans is to make train travel more affordable.

Research by McKinsey has found that 49 per cent of people cite prices as the primary factor in choosing a mode of transport. Europe on Rail has also found that 73 per cent of people believe rail travel should generally be cheaper than air travel on the same routes.

“Sky-high ticket prices are driving passengers away from trains,” Thévenet explains, adding that bringing costs down is a “shared responsibility between the industry and governments”.

“Rail operators need to set customer-friendly fares, while Member States and the EU should ensure fair competition and lower rail tolls.”

How can European rail be improved?

Some improvements to European rail are already in the works.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently committed to creating a Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation. This would allow passengers to easily book tickets for trains that cross country borders and operators without worrying about missing connections. They would also benefit from full EU passengers’ rights in the case of delays.

“The EU has opened a window of opportunity to finally mandate that train companies share their tickets with booking platforms to enable cross-border booking in just one click,” says Thévenet.

“Together with the rollout of the European standard for command and control system ERTMS, which will increase train capacity and punctuality, these regulations have the potential to make rail more reliable and easier to use. It is now time for the Commission to show these are not empty promises.”

As several of Europe’s once-peaceful destinations, including France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey, struggle with overtourism, visitors are seeking peace and quiet away from the crowds.

New research released this week reveals the top countries where you can find that tranquillity.

While Australia took the number one spot, many northern European countries pipped warmer Mediterranean destinations to the post, thanks to their historical wellness culture and safer, quieter spaces.

How do you judge how relaxing a destination is?

Over 76 destinations were analysed and then ranked by The Global Relaxation Index based on five key ‘relaxation’ factors: safety, solitude, serenity, nature, and wellness.

These were judged on the amount of protected area and forest coverage, crowd density, noise pollution, and the availability of wellness experiences. Each destination was then given a score between 1 and 100.

Iceland scored nearly perfect marks for its safety and serenity, coming in third place and as the most highly-rated European country. This should come as no surprise, given that the sparsely populated island nation is brimming with volcanoes, natural springs, and the enchantment of the Northern Lights.

Finland wasn’t far behind either, taking the fourth spot. It shares a crowd density below 20 people per km2 with Iceland.

This is in drastic contrast to the heavy crowds in Italy, which had 198.3 people per km2, and Mauritius, which was deemed the most crowded destination in the report based on its incredible 626 people per km.

Europe’s other leading relaxing destinations were Austria, ranked at number 6, Sweden at number 7, Estonia at number 8, Norway at number 9, and Portugal at number 10.

These countries were flagged to be leading the way in relaxation due to not having acres of space but because of their smart green cities, slower-paced lifestyles, and wealth of wellness traditions.

Despite its summer crowds, Spain still managed to find a place in the top 20 at the 16th spot, yet France was at 33.

Africa was also put on the map with Botswana and Namibia, which outranked other popular European destinations, such as Greece and France, which were ranked at 32 and 33, respectively.

The experts behind the index compared Australia, the top relaxing destination, with Italy, which ranked at 30, highlighting that Australia has an area 25 times larger but 50 million fewer annual visitors than the European country.

“The Global Relaxation Index confirms what many travellers already sense,” says Sean Kelly, co-founder of BookRetreats.com.

“The places we once visited for peace and quiet have become victims of their own popularity… The most peaceful escapes now lie in vast wilderness destinations like Australia and Canada, or in Northern European nations that combine safe environments with naturally calm city life.”

Canada – North America’s only destination in the top 25 – claimed second place. This was because the country offers over 4,700 wellness experiences, 34.8 per cent forest coverage, and incredible natural wonders like the Northern Lights.

Relaxation travel is expected to continue to be popular in 2025 as more travellers seek out untouched wilderness and mindful urban living experiences.