Latest news with #Eurodac
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Minister for Justice 'confident' Government will have 'vigorous' screening for migrants
The Minister for Justice said on Monday he is 'fairly confident' the government has or will in the near future 'vigorous' screening systems in help tackle the number of people illegally entering Ireland. Speaking to reporters in Limerick he said: 'I think we will be operating a very effective screening program once we enact and commence the International Protection Bill that I've got approval from government to draft, and it'll be brought into the Oireachtas at the end of the year.' Advertisement Minister Jim O'Callaghan said that the current 'Eurodac system', which assesses asylum applicants into Ireland will be 'upgraded' in June, to include 'a full biometric analysis performed in respect of any individuals who are coming in seeking international protection in Ireland'. Concerns were reported that because Ireland does not have access to certain EU security databases available in Schengen member states, it may not be able to carry out robust screening identity checks on asylum applicants. Minister O'Callaghan said Ireland was not part of Schengen because 'we want more robust systems in terms of protecting our borders'. 'I'm fairly confident that at present and certainly in the future, in June, that we will have very vigorous mechanisms in place to assess and ensure that we properly have information on individuals claiming international protection in Ireland,' he said. Advertisement Minister O'Callaghan said he previously visited the Eurodac screening system in place at Dublin Airport and found that all international protection applicants were 'fingerprinted', and are checked against Europol's watch list 'to see whether or not they have applied for asylum in other EU countries'. However, the Minister acknowledged 'there's an issue arising in terms of individuals coming down from Northern Ireland' to the Republic. He warned: 'Our systems have to become much stronger as time goes on.' While Ireland is a welcoming country for people 'fleeing persecution', the minister added, 'we need to have a system in place that ensures our security is properly preserved'. Advertisement Michael Gaine Seperately, he said he was 'very disturbed' to hear body parts belonging to murdered farmer, Michael Gaine had been found on Mr Gaine's farm, at Kenmare, Co Kerry, last Friday, eight weeks after he was declared missing. The minister would not be drawn on whether he shared concerns growing in Kenmare in respect of how gardaí have so far handled the probe. 'I was very disturbed to hear that some of the body parts that were identified are those of Michael Gaine, and I just want to express my condolences to his family in respect of that very traumatic development.' Minister O'Callaghan said he was being 'kept updated on it by the Garda Commissioner' but said, 'I'm not going to start getting involved in talking about that investigation. I'm going to leave policing investigations to An Garda Síochána, it's not my job to get involved and start directing them or commenting on their investigations.' Advertisement Ireland EU engaging 'sensibly' with US administration foll... Read More 'All I would say is I would appeal to anyone in the area who has information in respect of the murder of Michael Gaine that they would provide that information to the gardaí.' Meanwhile, following the publication of crime statistics, Minister O'Callaghan said he had a 'simple message for the Garda Commissioner and senior garda management - I want to see more gardaí out on the street'. Asked what his plans were to reduce the number of people carrying and using knives in public, he replied: 'I was worried about the increase in those figures over the past five to six years or so.' 'The gardaí obviously have to do their job in terms of seizing knives which are being carried unlawfully. But also, we as politicians need to send a message out that it's unacceptable for young men, and I regret to say, boys as well, to be carrying knives. It's unnecessary for them to carry a knife.'
The Journal
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Justice Minister 'fairly confident' government will have 'vigorous' screening to tackle illegal immigration
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE Jim O'Callaghan said today he is 'fairly confident' the government has or will in the near future 'vigorous' screening systems to help tackle the number of people illegally entering Ireland. The minister told reporters in Limerick: 'I think we will be operating a very effective screening program once we enact and commence the International Protection Bill that I've got approval from government to draft, and it'll be brought into the Oireachtas at the end of the year.' O'Callaghan said that the current 'Eurodac system', which assesses asylum applicants into Ireland will be 'upgraded' in June, to include 'a full biometric analysis performed in respect of any individuals who are coming in seeking international protection in Ireland'. Concerns were reported yesterday that because Ireland does not have access to certain EU security databases available in Schengen member states, it may not be able to carry out robust screening identity checks on asylum applicants. Advertisement O'Callaghan said Ireland was not part of Schengen because 'we want more robust systems in terms of protecting our borders'. 'So I'm fairly confident that at present and certainly in the future, in June, that we will have very vigorous mechanisms in place to assess and ensure that we properly have information on individuals claiming international protection in Ireland,' he said. O'Callaghan said he previously visited the Eurodac screening system in place at Dublin Airport and found that all international protection applicants were 'fingerprinted', and are checked against Europol's watch list 'to see whether or not they have applied for asylum in other EU countries'. However, the Minister acknowledged 'there's an issue arising in terms of individuals coming down from Northern Ireland' to the Republic. He warned: 'Our systems have to become much stronger as time goes on.' While Ireland is a welcoming country for people 'fleeing persecution', he added, 'we need to have a system in place that ensures our security is properly preserved'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Will Brits soon be able to use e-gates at European airports? Only if the EU agrees
British holidaymakers could use EU passport control lanes on the Continent again under the new deal with Europe struck yesterday – but only if member states agree to make the changes. Sir Keir Starmer said the agreement would allow UK travellers to go through EU 'e-gates' rather than manual passport checks, 'ending those huge queues at passport control'. And No 10's official X account said British nationals 'will now be able to use e-gates... so you can start your holiday sooner'. However, it will be up to EU member states to update their border security checks and decide when to introduce it. The move will also depend on the introduction of the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which will require travellers to give their fingerprints and pay a £6 fee. Asked when Britons may be able to use e-gates, the Prime Minister said: 'I want it done as soon as possible, and that's why I urge EU member states now to do it.' A Government official said member states had been using 'slightly different interpretations' of EU border control rules until now, and the new deal made clear there was 'no legal obstacle' to UK citizens using e-gates. The official summit statement said there would be 'potential use of e-gates where appropriate', adding there would be no legal bar on UK nationals using them 'after the introduction of the EES'. Yesterday's agreement also set out how Brussels will work more closely with the UK to combat illegal immigration and crime. It said they would 'explore ways' to exchange fingerprints, DNA, criminal records of third country nationals and facial recognition imagery. On illegal immigration, the PM said yesterday: 'The previous deal left a huge gap in our ability to work together to tackle illegal migration. So this deal closes that gap so we can work across migration routes to end the crisis and smash the criminal gangs.' However, the summit agreement did not go into detail on the matter besides stating the two parties 'should work together on practical and innovative approaches to reduce irregular migration' and setting out aims for 'closer co-operation'. The deal also did not outline renewed British access to the EU's asylum fingerprint database, Eurodac, which officials said would play a vital role in identifying illegal migrants who previously claimed refugee status on the Continent. It comes as Keir Starmer was accused of a great Brexit betrayal last night after agreeing a death that hands Brussels control of British laws, money and fish. The Prime Minister faced a furious backlash over a 'surrender pact' that will make Britain a 'rule-taker', forced to follow EU diktats with no say over them. Sir Keir agreed to restart payments to the EU budget which could run into hundreds of millions of pounds a year. And, to the fury of Britain's beleaguered fishermen, he caved in to French demands to allow access for EU trawlers until at least 2038 – more than 20 years after the public voted to take back control. The agreement also paves the way for a 'youth mobility deal' which could eventually grant 80 million young Europeans the right to live and work temporarily in the UK.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
As the UK is denied access to crime databases... when will Starmer, the EU's most ardent suitor, wake up to its blinkered intransigence and desire to punish Britain?
Will the scales ever fall from Sir Keir Starmer's eyes? Might our profoundly Europhile Prime Minister one day wake up to the reality that the European Union is a doctrinaire, protectionist and bureaucratic organisation with a skewed sense of priorities? May 19 is supposed to be a red letter day when EU and British leaders will gather in London to agree the 'reset' in relations on which Sir Keir has set his heart. But negotiations haven't been going as swimmingly as he had hoped. The latest setback is the EU's rejection of British access to crime and illegal migration databases. According to the Times, which has spoken to several Whitehall sources, Brussels is refusing to countenance any sharing of such information. EU negotiators reportedly made clear last week that there could be no access to the Schengen Information System or to the EU fingerprinting scheme, Eurodac, which has a record of all illegal migrants caught trying to enter the European Union. If the EU were prepared to share its database, the Home Office could find out where an illegal immigrant arriving in Britain had previously applied for asylum and been rejected. Such people could be fast-tracked, and quickly removed. According to one unidentified senior government negotiator who spoke to the Times, European Commission counterparts have been 'intransigent' and 'dogmatic' during discussions on data. Why should there be any surprise? The European Commission doesn't say to itself: We live in dangerous times with criminals and illegal immigrants crossing borders in their thousands. It won't reason that the citizens of the EU and the UK would be safer in their beds if information of this sort were freely shared by both sides. No, the Commission is as rigid in its thinking as a committee of Catholic bishops laying down the law on the finer points of Purgatory in 12th century Europe. Britain is neither part of the EU nor of the Schengen agreement on open borders. Of course it can't be allowed to share Brussels' precious data! European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of their meeting at the Elysee in Paris on Monday Sir Keir Starmer arrives to meet with Ms von der Leyen inside No 10, where an EU flag features In fact, the Government was somewhat naive in imagining that such a deal might be possible, since even when Britain was an EU member we had only limited access to the database because we weren't signed up to Schengen. Why should hard-boiled negotiators in Brussels – people who put every jot and tittle of European law above consideration of our collective security – suddenly open their minds to rationality and common sense? This is only the most recent example of the EU failing to embrace the besotted pro-European Sir Keir Starmer in the fraternal way he dreams of. It demonstrates a kind of institutional pettiness. In March the European Commission announced that it would borrow up to 150 billion euros to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan necessitated by the threat from Russia, combined with concerns that Europe can no longer be sure of US protection now that the maverick President Trump is in charge. 'We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times,' Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared. 'We are in an era of rearmament. And Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending.' Wise words. But almost as soon as Mrs von der Leyen had spoken, President Emmanuel Macron said that the UK should be excluded from a defence and security pact, and British manufacturers barred from bidding for weapon contracts, unless European (and particularly French) vessels were given access to our fishing waters. Continental Europe is threatened – actually even more so than Britain, as an island. UK companies such as British Aerospace have unparalleled expertise in many areas of defence. The EU needs us. And yet all that the ridiculous Macron could think about at this moment of crisis was pillaging more British fish. According to some reports, more reasonable counsels have prevailed in Europe, and the French president has been put back in his box so far as this issue is concerned. We may learn at the May 19 summit that our defence companies will be involved in European rearmament. Yet it remains incredible that the Commission could have ever made the defence of the European continent partly contingent on a deal over fish. This is the face of decadence. How the Russians and Chinese and all our enemies must hold us in contempt. Nor should we imagine that fish has disappeared as an issue, even if it is no longer linked to a defence and security pact. The Government has been negotiating for an animal and food safety deal, which would obviate the time-consuming and obstructive paperwork that the EU likes to load on hapless British exporters. Brussels is demanding that Britain signs up to EU food standards – which would mean submitting to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice – even though it has previously accepted New Zealand's food standards as being equally good as its own. It doesn't end there. Because the EU has long hankered after permanent access to Britain's fishing waters, it has seen an opportunity to link the Government's desire for a food deal to the question of fishing rights. If the EU were prepared to share its database, the Home Office could find out where an illegal immigrant arriving in Britain had previously applied for asylum and been rejected, writes Stephen Glover There will doubtless be a tremendous jamboree on May 19, and the Prime Minister will herald a new dawn in our relations with the EU. But when the fine print is studied, it'll be clear that the EU has got more out of the 'reset' than the UK. Brussels won't easily vary its strict rules and regulations. It will only relax them in return for significant concessions. Any agreement probably won't prevent Donald Trump from interpreting the summit as Britain throwing in its lot with the European Union. We may not escape the higher tariffs coming Brussels' way. The truth is that Starmer idealises the EU, as diehard Remainers do. He'd like to rejoin what he mistakenly regards as an enlightened institution but realises that this is politically impossible, at any rate for the time being. So he plots a series of backdoor deals. But the European Union has a limited appetite for such agreements. It would cheerfully have us back as a fully-fledged member, though on far meaner terms than we enjoyed before we left. But until or unless that happens, only the occasional morsel will be tossed in our direction. We mustn't send a feast back. The EU has been pressing for a 'youth mobility scheme', which would enable 18-30-year-olds to work in Britain for a limited period. Despite having publicly vetoed this idea, the Government has in fact been discussing it with the EU. It would be unconscionable for it to give the green light to the EU's pet scheme after being denied access to a database that would help it control criminality and illegal immigration. Here is the Prime Minister, struggling to contain the soaring numbers of people crossing the Channel in boats, having foolishly jettisoned the previous government's Rwanda plan, which might have served as a deterrent. He is in an increasingly desperate situation. But it seems – if reports are correct – that Brussels won't help its greatest British fan and most ardent suitor. Will Sir Keir Starmer ever become even dimly aware that the European Union, far from being a beacon of light, is a blinkered and intransigent institution?
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK access to EU crime and illegal migration data reportedly denied
A UK request for access to shared European Union crime and illegal migration data has reportedly been rejected in a blow to Keir Starmer's hopes of a post-Brexit relations 'reset'. British negotiators have been hoping to reach a deal on gaining access to the Schengen Information System (SIS), a vital tool for sharing police alerts across borders within the area where 29 countries have abolished passport controls. However, European officials were reported by the Times to have ruled out allowing access to it and to the bloc's centralised fingerprinting system, Eurodac, which stores information on illegal migrants. Access to the records would be a significant boost to attempts by the Labour government to clear Britain's asylum claims and appeals backlog at a time when political opponents on the populist right are on the rise. The prime minister suggested last year at an Interpol annual general assembly in Glasgow that EU leaders had shown an interest in giving the UK access to the intelligence database used to identify people seeking asylum. Asked whether he could detect enthusiasm from EU leaders about giving the UK access to Eurodac data as part of a new security deal, he told journalists: 'Yes, there is an appetite to work more closely with us on this. Because look, these are shared challenges.' Daniel Moylan, the Conservative transport spokesman, said on Monday that the prime minister had cast his reset of relations with the EU as a 'magic bullet' to deliver on Labour's manifesto pledge to 'smash the gangs' when it came to illegal Channel crossings. 'It's not working. He needs to start taking action in the UK and stop creeping to Brussels,' Lord Moylan added. A UK government spokesperson said: 'We are not providing a running commentary on our discussions with the EU. These are ongoing and cover a wide range of issues. 'Together we want to build a safer, more secure and more prosperous UK and we have been clear that we will always act in the national interest to secure the best outcomes for the UK. The European Commission has been approached for comment. In the absence of a deal on giving access to Eurodac and Schengen data, one area of potential progress revolves around work and travel freedoms. The EU is prepared to make major concessions in negotiations to allow British and European 18- to 30-year-olds to travel and work freely, the Guardian reported last month. However, there have been suggestions that figures in the British government have made access to EU databases a 'red line' in negotiations over such a youth mobility scheme. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The previous UK government signed a deal earlier last year for Britain work more closely with the EU's border agency to stop small boats crossing the Channel. But the lack of access to the Eurodac fingerprinting system – which stores more than 7m fingerprint records and was lost to Britain with the ending of the Brexit transition period in December 2020 – limits potential collaboration. Access would help returns by proving individuals had rightful residence in other countries. Cooperation to tackle illegal migration, together with counter terror cooperation, is part of the three pillars which the UK government has been working on as part of a touted 'reset' of UK-EU relations. The others are on foreign policy and security cooperation and growth and trade cooperation.
