The European Union has postponed the introduction of a new biometric entry screening system for non-EU citizens that was due to be introduced on Nov. 10 after Germany, France and the Netherlands said the border computer systems were not yet ready, Reuters reported.

“The November 10 date is no longer under discussion,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters.

There is no new timetable yet, but a phased introduction is being considered, she said.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is expected to create a digital record linking a travel document to biometric data proving a person's identity, eliminating the need to manually stamp a passport at the EU's external border.

It would require non-EU citizens arriving in the Schengen free movement zone to register their fingerprints, have their face scanned and answer questions about their stay.

But a German interior ministry spokesman said the three countries, which account for 40 percent of affected passenger traffic, were not ready to implement EES.

The French Ministry of the Interior has stated that while France is convinced of the usefulness of EES, its implementation must be properly prepared.

The Dutch government did not comment on this information.