The European Union announced that it was postponing the new automated border control system for non-EU citizens as some countries are not prepared to implement it.

The so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which will do away with passport stamps, was supposed to kick in on Nov. 10.

But European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said that the start date was "no longer on the table" as France, Germany and the Netherlands were not ready.

"I hope that we can start as soon as possible, but there's no new timeline so far," she told journalists after a meeting of the bloc's interior ministers in Luxembourg.

The commission favored a new phased approach, with the new system initially implemented at some border crossings only, but this depended on a new legal assessment, she said.

Concerns had been raised too over the "resilience of the system," she added.

Under the EES, travelers to the bloc will have details and biometric data – facial images and fingerprints – collected at ports of entry.

First agreed on in 2017, the automated system will replace manual passport stamping. It will record visitors' date of entry and exit and keep track of overstays and refused entries.

But its upcoming introduction has raised fears of queues and longer waiting times for people traveling to Europe on trains, ferries and planes.

A British parliamentary committee earlier this year said some British passengers could initially expect delays of up to 14 hours.