It's a well known fact that us Brits love a good queue. Don't get me wrong, I love a good queue as much as the next Brit, but, that being said, maybe not at an airport where I'm in a rush, trying to catch a flight, and making sure I've got the right amount of children.
At this point, I'm usually so stressed I don't even care if they're the right ones anymore, just as long as the headcount is right.
Since Brexit, all British passengers arriving at an EU airport have been forced to wait in queue for a manned desk, in order to have their passports stamped.
Following the UK's departure from the EU, a new system was revealed to be in the works, known as Entry/Exit System (EES), which meant those without a EU passport would be subject to biometric tests just to go in and out of various European countries.
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Thankfully, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just announced a new deal with the EU, which will see changes to allow Brits to use e-gates when travelling through European airports.
What is the deal on e-gates?
There had been whispers on the wind that Starmer would be negotiating with the European Union to let Brits enter their countries through e-gates.
Ahead of the UK-EU summit in London today (19 May), European relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, said he thought it 'would be sensible'.
According to Morning Star, certain airports in Spain and Portugal allow British passports through e-gates.
However, the new deal will see more holiday makers being able to use e-gates at more European airports, letting them skip the queue for passport control.
According to the UK government's document following the summit, they write that 'there will be no legal barriers to eGate use for British Nationals traveling to and from European Union Member States after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System'.
However, the BBC notes that there is no obligation on countries to allow the use of e-gates, nor if there's an official confirmation of when we could expect this to happen.
It's not just human changes which have been announced for air travel, pet passports have also been announced, so those travelling with pets won't require health certificates from both the UK and the EU to travel within Europe.
What are the other EU rule changes?
Among the new changes which make traveling across Europe a little easier again, the Prime Minister also announced a few other changes, which resolve some of the issues the country has faced since Brexit.
One of these changes, and one which has been a big concern for the country, is a new 12-year deal on fishing. The new deal will allow fishing boats from the UK to fish in EU waters once again, and of course, vica versa.
Routine checks on plant and animal products have also been removed, and British sausages and burgers will once again be allowed back into the EU.
A new deal to slash red tape on food and drink import/export between the UK and EU has also been included in the deal.
There's also talks of a new youth mobility scheme being put in place, which will allow youths to work, study, volunteer, or travel across Europe for a limited time.
However, more details on the scheme are expected to be announced at a later date.
At the summit, Starmer declared that 'Britain is back on the world stage'.
Topics: Travel, Brexit, Keir Starmer, Europe, Fishing
Kegan Marquez