The EU introduces new border controls

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report — The EU Introduces New Border Controls

Date: October 10, 2025
Host: William Lee Adams (BBC World Service for Marketplace)
Featured Guests: Katie Austin (BBC Transport Correspondent), Carla Conti (BBC Reporter), Marion Caray (Founder of Ask Mona), Pierre Hippolyte Penay (Chief Curator, Château Versailles), Harry Bly (BBC Reporter)
Summary By Theme: New EU Border Controls, Global Business Updates, Menstrual Leave Innovation in India, AI at Versailles, NBA Returns to China

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Overview of Episode

This concise, globally-focused episode explores the European Union’s introduction of new biometric border controls for non-EU visitors, providing practical travel insights and context for the policy shift. It also covers notable business headlines, policy change in India’s labor sector, technological innovation merging AI with cultural heritage at Versailles, and a major NBA event in China.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New EU Border Controls

[00:47 – 03:21]

Introduction to the System

• Main news: EU introduces biometric checks (fingerprints and facial scans) for non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area, in a system being gradually implemented over the next six months.

“Starting on Sunday, travelers to the European Union won't just show their passports, they'll have their faces and fingerprints scanned too.”
— William Lee Adams [00:52]

Purpose & Scope

• Goal: Modernize borders and track non-EU nationals entering/exiting the Schengen Area (29 countries, including popular tourist destinations).
• Who’s affected: Non-EU citizens (adults and children 12+); kids under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting.

“This is really a sort of modernization of the way the border works... a digital border system that's meant to make it easier to accurately track who is coming in and out of the European Union.”
— Katie Austin [01:22]

Differences By Mode of Entry

• Air travel: Process similar to current, but with added biometric step (via officer or automated machine).
• Channel Tunnel (UK): French checks occur on UK soil, due to special agreements.
• Ferries, trains, vehicles: Similar biometric checks integrated into the existing border process.

“When you're entering this area, how exactly you experience these checks will be a bit different depending whether you're flying or taking a ferry or, or a train or a vehicle shuttle through the Channel Tunnel from the UK.”
— Katie Austin [02:20]

Impact on Travelers

• Initial wait: Adds a few minutes at first registration but may speed up repeat visits due to electronic records.
• Long-term: Intended to streamline and smooth border crossings for frequent travelers after initial enrollment.

“Yes, it probably will add a couple of minutes when you're doing this initial registration process. Actually, it could make things pretty smooth in the future...”
— Katie Austin [03:06]

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2. Markets & Business Updates

[03:23 – 03:59]

• Stellantis Sales: Up 13% year over year; brands include Jeep, Chrysler, Peugeot.
• Oil Prices: Brent crude futures down 0.4% (just under $65/barrel), following 1.6% fall in previous session.

“Sales of Stellantis vehicles are up 13% from a year ago... Oil prices dec declined on Friday after settling 1.6% lower in the previous session.”
— William Lee Adams [03:23]

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3. India’s Menstrual Leave Policy in Karnataka

[03:59 – 04:42]

Policy Details

• Karnataka introduces one day per month of paid menstrual leave for women.
• Aimed at creating humane, inclusive workplaces, addressing pain and fatigue.

“The state Cabinet says the policy is about creating a more humane and inclusive workplace... periods can bring debilitating pain and fatigue.”
— Carla Conti [03:59]

Implications & Criticisms

• Workforce impact: Karnataka has one of India’s highest female labor participation rates; policy may set a national precedent.
• Concerns: Critics argue blanket policy could stigmatize women or affect hiring/promotions.

“There are fears that employers might see women as a financial or logistical burden, potentially hesitating to hire or promote them and undermining the very equality that the policy is meant to advance.”
— Carla Conti [04:32]

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4. Artificial Intelligence at the Palace of Versailles

[04:42 – 07:01]

Innovation at a Historic Site

• Project: Statues and fountains at Versailles can now "talk" to visitors using AI chatbots, a project in partnership with OpenAI and Ask Mona.
• How it works: Visitors scan QR codes with their phones to chat with AI-powered statues.
• Languages: Chatbots function in three languages; each statue has a curated voice/personality.

“At each site there's a QR code... it takes you to a website where users can launch a conversation.”
— Harry Bly [05:23]

Personalization & Engagement

• Adaptive Communication: AI tailors responses based on visitor’s age (e.g., for children).

“If you go in front of the statue and say, hey, I'm with like a six year old kid, the AI is going to answer with appropriate language.”
— Marion Caray [06:26]

• Scale: 6,000+ questions from visitors per day.
• Mission: Enhance interactivity and discovery, in the tradition of the palace’s historical embrace of innovation.

“It's a new way to interact with the sculpture and to discover more.”
— Pierre Hippolyte Penay [06:55]

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5. NBA Returns to China

[07:11 – 07:36]

• Significance: NBA is holding its first preseason games in China since 2019; Brooklyn Nets vs. Phoenix Suns in Macau.

“As the NBA returns to China this weekend for the first time since 2019, the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play two preseason games at the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau.”
— William Lee Adams [07:13]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Katie Austin on border process modernization:

  “That will create an electronic file for each person that will go to a central EU system.” [01:54]

• Marion Caray on AI at Versailles:

  “We need the AI not to invent information.” [06:05]

• Pierre Hippolyte Penay on the AI project:

  “The visitors seems to be very, very happy with experience. Experience.” [06:51]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:47] — EU announces new border controls (intro by William Lee Adams)
• [01:18–03:21] — Katie Austin explains the system, motivation, and implications
• [03:23–03:59] — US/UK/India business updates (Stellantis, oil, Karnataka menstrual leave)
• [04:42–07:01] — AI-powered talking statues at the Palace of Versailles (Harry Bly, Marion Caray, Pierre Hippolyte Penay)
• [07:11–07:36] — NBA preseason games return to China (William Lee Adams)

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Tone & Style

The episode is brief and informative, moving quickly but with clarity through news items of global economic, social, and cultural importance. The reporting is straightforward but includes moments of engagement and practical explanation, especially on technical subjects like border biometrics and technology in cultural heritage.

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This summary reflects the essential content and tone of the Marketplace Morning Report episode for Friday, October 10, 2025, focusing on new EU border controls and associated global news stories.

Transcript

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[Harry Bly]

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The home with Duncan is where you want to be.

[William Lee Adams]

The EU is set to take fingerprints under new border control measures. Live from the uk, this is the Marketplace morning report from the BBC World Service. I'm William Lee Adams. Good morning. Starting on Sunday, travelers to the European Union won't just show their passports, they'll have their faces and fingerprints scanned too. The new entry and exit system is being brought in gradually over the next six months for citizens from non EU countries. Here to tell us More is the BBC's transport correspondent, Katie Austin. Katie, hi.

[Katie Austin]

Hello.

[William Lee Adams]

Why is the European Union implementing this new system?

[Katie Austin]

Well, this is really a sort of modernisation of the way the border works. So this is a digital border system that's meant to make it easier to accurately track who is coming in and out of the European Union. It'll apply at the borders of what's called the Schengen area. So that's a group of 29 European countries where there's free movement between the countries, so no internal border controls. So non EU citizens who are entering that zone, which includes lots of popular holiday destinations, you know, France, Spain, Greece, for example. In addition to having their passport checked, they'll have to provide biometric information as well, fingerprints and a facial scanner photo. Although to be fair, children under 12 won't have to provide fingerprints. But, yeah, that will create an electronic file for each person that will go to a central EU system. So as I say, it will help track who is going in and out.

[William Lee Adams]

So these rules are going to differ by how you arrive, aren't they?

[Katie Austin]

When you're entering this area, how exactly you experience these checks will be a bit different depending whether you're flying or taking a ferry or, or a train or a vehicle shuttle through the Channel Tunnel from the UK when you're flying. Actually, the process will feel fairly similar to now, but with a kind of an extra layer. So at the moment you go through passport control and it'll be a similar process but with that extra step. So either a border officer or an automated machine will take down your fingerprints and your photo if, as I say, you're going through the Channel Tunnel. Points of entry from the uk. There's an arrangement between the UK and France that actually those French border processes are done in the UK as you leave.

[William Lee Adams]

It sounds like it could really increase transit time.

[Katie Austin]

Yes, it probably will add a couple of minutes when you're doing this initial registration process. Actually, it could make things pretty smooth in the future because on repeat visits you'll just kind of scan your passport systems should recognise it's you and on you go.

[William Lee Adams]

Katie, thanks for joining us on Marketplace.

[Katie Austin]

Thanks very much for having me.

[William Lee Adams]

Let's do the numbers. Sales of Stellantis vehicles are up 13% from a year ago. Stellantis brands include Jeep, Chrysler and Peugeot. Elsewhere, oil prices dec declined on Friday after settling 1.6% lower in the previous session. Brink crude futures were down 0.4% at just under $65 a barrel. India's southern state of Karnataka, home to Bengaluru, known as the country's Silicon Valley, has approved one day of paid menstrual leave per month. It's been hailed as a step forward for women's rights. But could the policy backfire? BBC reporter Carla Conti tells us what it could mean in practice.

[Casual Conversationalist]

The state Cabinet says the policy is about creating a more humane and inclusive workplace, one that recogn that for some women, periods can bring debilitating pain and fatigue. With one of the highest female labor participation rates in India, Karnataka's decision could set a powerful precedent for the rest of the country. However, the policy has also faced some criticism. Some have argued that a blanket rule assumes all women's experiences are the same and could actually do more harm than good. There are fears that employers might see women as a financial or logistical burden, potentially hesitating to hire or promote them and undermining the very equality that the policy is meant to advance.

[William Lee Adams]

The BBC's Carlo Conti, now building work for the palace of Versailles in France, began in the early 1600s and the site is famous for its architecture, lakes and statues. So you might be surprised to find cutting edge technology being used within the ancient grounds. Artificial intelligence is being deployed to allow some of the statues to talk to visitors. The BBC's Harry Bly has been to see it.

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[Harry Bly]

This was me at the palace of Versailles speaking to Apollo's fountain. What is the big golden fish in the water?

[Dell Commercial Voiceover]

Ah, that's no fish.

[Harry Bly]

The music you can hear tells you that we're in the baroque gardens of the palace. Here there are 20 iconic fountains and statues which visitors can now speak to and hear their stories. It's all come about thanks to a partnership with the artificial intelligence firms OpenAI and Ask Mona. And it's relatively simple. At each site there's a QR code. When you scan it with your mobile phone, it takes you to a website where users can launch a conversation. Marion Caray is the founder of Ask Mona.

[Marion Caray]

What we bring into the experience was the ability to to use information from their site to feed the AI with it. But we need the AI not to invent information.

[Harry Bly]

Currently, the chatbots can be used in three languages. Developers have also ensured that each statue's bot has its own curated voice. What aspect of these animal combats intrigues you? And as Marion explains, the bot can adjust to people of different ages.

[Marion Caray]

So, for example, if you go in front of the statue and say, hey, I'm with like a six year old kid, the AI is going to answer with appropriate language. So it's really a way for us to personalize the experience.

[Harry Bly]

Pierre Hippolyte Penay is the chief curator at Chateau Versailles and led this project.

[Marion Caray]

We have 6,000 questions asked every day to the statues and the visitors seems to be very, very happy with experience. Experience. It's a new way to interact with the sculpture and to discover more.

[Harry Bly]

Pierre Hippolyte says embracing innovation is firmly in keeping with the history of the palace. I'm the BBC's Harry Bly for Marketplace.

[William Lee Adams]

And so wish we finish with basketball news as the NBA returns to China this weekend for the first time since 2019, the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play two preseason games at the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau in the uk. I'm William Lee Adams with the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

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Hey, it's Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio. I have an update on our fall fundraiser. Over 2,000 donors stepped up to power the future of Marketplace. Thank you to everyone who donated. Your support powers our mission to make everyone smarter about the economy and we can't thank you enough. Thank you. This work doesn't stop and it's never too late to become a Marketplace investor. Head over to marketplace.org donate and thank you.