Latest news with #SchengenInformationSystem
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.
The National
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Labour's EU 'reset' plans dealt major blow by Brussels
The Prime Minister is hoping to open a new chapter in Britain's relationship with the bloc after Brexit, but has hit a significant hurdle as the EU blocked the UK from accessing information, including the fingerprints of illegal immigrants, with British police and border officials, The Times reports. UK negotiators had been seeking access to the Schengen Information System (SIS), which provides real-time alerts on criminal suspects but these requests have been turned down. They had also been looking to use Eurodac, the EU's fingerprinting system, which has a record of all illegal immigrants coming into the bloc without permission. Regaining access to Eurodac was seen as a 'gamechanger' within the Home Office, according to The Times, because it would help bring down the asylum backlog. Having access to the database would mean caseworkers would be able to see where asylum claims had previously been denied and fast-track people for removal. UK officials have blamed their 'intransigent' European counterparts, with one source saying: 'This is something that we would see as mutually beneficial but so far there has been no movement. 'The EU's argument appears to be that it would set a precedent and that third parties can't have access to Schengen databases. But it is frustrating, as it makes co-operation in areas like illegal migration much harder.' Another said Brussels had been 'dogmatic' about accessing data, adding: 'No matter how clear the mutual benefit, they're not budging from the principle.' READ MORE: Two Scotch whisky cask investment firms worth £60m go bust with all jobs lost A third source said the UK Government was not seeking straightforward access to or membership of either database, but insisted a 'workaround' could be found to allow data to be shared or replicated. The EU has long maintained that it is not able to give Britain access to the databases because of Brexit, though the country was never in the Schengen Area. Starmer has previously spoken of the importance of getting access to EU data on crime and migration. He said last year: 'I'm absolutely clear that when it comes to cross-border crime, particularly people smuggling, the more we can share the better. The more we can work together, the better. The more we know — whether, in this particular instance, people have claimed asylum in a previous country and something can be done about it — the better.' The Times reports that the data impasse is expected to make it harder to agree to a youth mobility scheme, which was being touted to be announced in principle at a 'reset' summit on May 19. A senior Government source told the paper: 'We are proceeding on the basis that it won't happen because it can't happen without at least some concession from the EU on data.' It is now expected that the announcement will be scaled down to a commitment for both sides to explore the possibility of giving young people the chance to work and study in the EU. A government spokesman 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.'
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Small boat blow as UK tries to get back intelligence access surrendered during Brexit
The UK has been pushing for access to European intelligence databases, which include asylum data and real-time information about criminal suspects, which officials say would be a game-changer A desperate bid to get back access to crime and illegal migration databases surrendered during Brexit has been rejected, it is reported. The Government wants to use the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the EU's fingerprinting system Eurodac again. Officials believe this would be a game-changer in identifying asylum seekers whose claims should be rejected. It would also give UK police and intelligence services real-time alerts on criminal suspects. But EU negotiators have ruled out giving the UK access, The Times reports. Britain had access to the systems before Brexit, and Mr Starmer says improved intelligence sharing will be crucial in tackling illegal migration. He has previously complained that Boris Johnson's botched deal affected the UK's ability to lead intelligence operations targeting traffickers. The fingerprint database will tell Home Office decision-makers whether a person has had an asylum application rejected in Europe - making it quicker to remove them. Mr Starmer will meet fellow leaders from the continent next week at the European Political Community Summit in Albania, where he will make the case for better information sharing. A source told The Times: "This is something that we would see as mutually beneficial but so far there has been no movement. The EU's argument appears to be that it would set a precedent and that third parties can't have access to Schengen databases. But it is frustrating, as it makes co-operation in areas like illegal migration much harder." The UK is understood to be seeking a "workaround" rather than full access to the SIS system. It had limited access before Brexit as it was not a member of the Schengen zone with free movement between borders. Last year Mr Starmer complained that the UK's Brexit deal had hampered efforts to tackle people traffickers. He told The Mirror in November: "I do think when it comes to security, we can do better than the deal we've got and that's what we're pursuing. I don't think the deal we got was a particularly good one. "I don't think we did as well as we should have done when we came to the question of cross border, crime and security, and that's why we want to improve on it." And he went on: "I'll give you one example - when we were in the EU, we could lead on operations, and at the moment we can't. We're very good in the UK. "We've got very good intelligence, we've got very good law enforcement. We should actually be really proud of what we're doing in the UK. "But when UK leads something, in my experience, and I did this for five years, it works well. And I'm very keen to get the UK into a leadership position when it comes to the actual operations, particularly in relation to smuggling and putting people into small boats across the channel."
Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Police co-operation is a vital area for a reset with the EU
Brexit not only ended Britain's political and economic integration with the European Union; it also broke a myriad of cross-Channel links between institutions and government agencies that relied on a regular exchange of knowledge, research and help. Mending those broken threads and rejoining programmes vital to British interests has been one of the themes of Labour's proposal for a 'reset' of its relations with our former EU partners. No programme has been as vital to Britain's security as access to the Schengen Information System and Europol. The first allowed police and immigration officials to tap into a vast database that provided intelligence on asylum seekers arriving in the UK. The second was the daily exchange of information by EU police forces, alerting each other to
