Logistics UK, one of Europe’s largest freight associations, issued a stark position paper on 6 December predicting “severe congestion” at Polish land borders and airports as the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) ramps up during the Christmas rush. The association cites pilot data showing enrolment kiosks adding up to four minutes per truck driver at Dover and Prague trials—a delay that could balloon on Poland’s frontier with non-EU neighbours Ukraine and Belarus.
Poland processes the Schengen Area’s longest external land border and handled 24 million air passengers in 2024. Border Guard officials insist e-gates are functioning but concede holiday traffic may spike 30 % once seasonal workers and returning expatriates converge. Any slowdown threatens just-in-time supply chains for the country’s booming automotive and electronics plants, as well as critical humanitarian corridors into Ukraine.
![Holiday Warning: Entry/Exit System Could Snarl Polish Borders, Logistics UK Says]()
The trade body urges Brussels to honour its promise of a phased roll-out, asking for real-time dashboard data so carriers can reroute before queues build. Polish chambers of commerce echo the plea, fearing that unpredictable border times could blunt the country’s attractiveness as a near-shoring hub.
Mobility managers should brief travellers on fingerprint-and-facial-scan procedures, add dwell-time for drivers, and pre-position trailers on the German side of the A2 motorway. Airlines are advising passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure until mid-January.
A Council of the EU working group meets next week; Poland is expected to lobby for a temporary cap on enrolment volumes until after the peak season.
Poland processes the Schengen Area’s longest external land border and handled 24 million air passengers in 2024. Border Guard officials insist e-gates are functioning but concede holiday traffic may spike 30 % once seasonal workers and returning expatriates converge. Any slowdown threatens just-in-time supply chains for the country’s booming automotive and electronics plants, as well as critical humanitarian corridors into Ukraine.
The trade body urges Brussels to honour its promise of a phased roll-out, asking for real-time dashboard data so carriers can reroute before queues build. Polish chambers of commerce echo the plea, fearing that unpredictable border times could blunt the country’s attractiveness as a near-shoring hub.
Mobility managers should brief travellers on fingerprint-and-facial-scan procedures, add dwell-time for drivers, and pre-position trailers on the German side of the A2 motorway. Airlines are advising passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure until mid-January.
A Council of the EU working group meets next week; Poland is expected to lobby for a temporary cap on enrolment volumes until after the peak season.
