Rishi Sunak has pushed for UK citizens to be allowed through e-gates in the European Union trade bloc, despite the UK’s EU departure making trading relations more difficult to navigate in the past few years.
Rishi Sunak’s exploratory talks are a good sign that this government is reconciling trade relations with EU members and could be beneficial to improving international interoperability around privacy standards, with the launch of the Entry/Exit system looming.
In addition to the digital wallet, the EU’s launch of the Entry/Exit system is highly-anticipated, requiring non-EU travellers to consent to their biometric data being collected and stored on their first visit to the bloc. British diplomats however have raised the potential repercussions on the UK’s right to privacy.
Prior to the recent talks, UK forged the Windsor Framework with Brussels agreeing to make travel less cumbersome and available to all travellers.
With the G7 summit in Japan approaching next month, it is expected that Prime Minister Rishi will raise the discussion with the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen to cultivate a positive future relationship between the EU and UK after Brexit and finalise the “Entry/Exit” system.
A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak confirmed the discussions, saying:
“We are working closely with the European Commission and member states to understand the impacts of the introduction of the entry exit system for British citizens, and our priority is always to minimise unnecessary delays for British passengers.”: “We are working closely with the European Commission and member states to understand the impacts of the introduction of the entry exit system for British citizens, and our priority is always to minimise unnecessary delays for British passengers.”
