Why Post-2007 Schengen Could be Bad News

The issue of the Schengen Area indirectly arose at Monday’s British-Irish Council meeting (covered by Slugger OToole here):

Britain and Ireland are outside the Schengen agreement and will therefore be excluded from information-sharing on biometric visas when they come into force within the EU in 2009.

Mr Brown said both he and Mr Ahern were now agreed that there should be information-sharing beyond the Schengen agreement.

"Both of us accept that there must be greater co-operation, the sharing of information about biometric visas with those countries that are part of the Schengen agreement, the sharing of information about alerts about people who are suspected of terrorist activities," he said.

"We want to see that sharing of information extend not just to the other 25 countries of the EU but extend to us in Britain and Ireland as well.

"We, of course, are prepared to share information about biometric visas with other countries. We hope we can have reciprocal information-sharing in the future."

The question of UK and the ROI actually joining the Schengen Area, apparently, did not arise.

The whole principle of Schengen I theoretically agree with; this idea that you can travel hassle-free across the length and breadth of the EU is one of the main reasons why the whole concept of the European Union still makes sense. It is, of course, opposed in the UK by most of the right-wing press also because of this reason; the idea that Johnski Forinersz can hop on a train in Bratislava and next thing roll up through Victoria without any jobsbody checking passports, driving licenses, library card, fills them with horror. Open door for terrorists, asylum-seekers, social security spongers, Roma kiddies, dodgy plumbers etc etc.
Except it’s not.

Terrrorists in the UK have a nasty habit of coming from middle-class detacheds in Yorkshire and housing estates in West Belfast, not from panel-houses in Riga. Polish plumbers, dodgy or not, are coming to the UK because the government, has quite astutely, realised that we need their labour….another pertinent point, it’s easier for an East European to work in the UK (non-Schengen) than it is in France (Schengen). Ditto with "social-security spongers"- got everything to do with the social-security system, diddly-squat with Schengen; anyway, something like 95% of all those who came from new-Europe are working, not claiming the dole.

So, Schengen, theoretically, a good idea. But why only "theoretically" and why does it not make sense for the UK and the ROI to join Schengen at this particular moment?

From January 2008, seven new countries will be admitted to Schengen. Of that seven, three specifically present a risk, simply because of their less than efficient border procedures with their non-EU/Schengen neighbours.

There’s nothing to really worry about with Poland and the Baltics; there is such an antipathy towards their neighbours (ie Russia) that their Border regulations are even more stringent than those required by the EU. Actually, the way it’s going, Poland will also be re-introducing entry visas for Germans soon….!

But with Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia there are real doubts, which have been raised by, amongst others, Austria. The Czech Republic does not share a border with any non-EU states, however, it is notoriously easy to travel via Slovakia into the country without any real control whatsoever. Slovakia and Hungary border the Ukraine and there are mixed settlements of ethnic Slovaks, Magyars, Ukrainians living on the border in each of three countries, customs have been traditionally lackadaisical at checking “villagers” travelling on foot through any of the three borders. Bribes still grease palms even three years after Slovakia and Hungary joining the EU. Consequently this area has become one of the main transit routes for oil, people and drug-smuggling from all directions east. Hungary also shares a border with Romania, which is, admitedly, EU but unlikely to get into Schengen for some considerable time due to its only dodgy border procedures. Same problem has mentioned earlier, with the added bonus of an enormous ethnic Hungarian population of three million living in Erdely which have complete freedom of movement between the 2 countries.

Theoretically (there’s that word again), all border posts and controls have been passed by the European Union, but unless they have an independent 24 hour surveillance (they haven’t), there is no way that they cannot change the habits of a lifetime and stop all kinds of undesireable trade rolling into the Schengen Area. To date, the Gates of Vienna, or at least Austria, once again, have been the line holding back those "barbarians" who’re up to no good. EU passports are waved through very quickly, those without are in a for a pretty long question and answer session. Come January 2008, that check will be gone and the EU will be relying on those working the border in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia….a chain is only as strong as its weakest links and those three countries are very weak links.