Sir, – Donal Denham asks the Taoiseach why Ireland does not apply to become a full member of the Schengen Area Accord (Letters, July 6th).
Like the majority of our decisions in relation to EU membership, we always aspire to obtain the best of both worlds.
In this case, the terms of the Common Travel Area (CTA) agreement with our nearest neighbour are essentially a mini-Schengen, because it allows British and Irish citizens to live, work and access public services in both countries, even after the UK’s exit from the EU.
At the same time, we take advantage of and participate in parts of the Schengen Acquis for law enforcement purposes while being able to move freely within the EU using our Irish/EU passports, subject only to passport controls at point of entry.
Pavel Durov built an app bigger than Elon Musk’s. Now it’s known as the dark web in your pocket
The Apprentice controversy: Donald Trump and the ‘toughest, meanest, loyalest, vilest’ lawyer in the US
Cliff Taylor: Meet the budget’s real winners: A family of five on an income of more than €70,000
‘He called Ukraine his home’: frontline fighters recall Irish soldier Robert Deegan killed by Russian shelling
It is also important point out that the Schengen travel area is not without its challenges. In 2024 alone, temporary border controls have been introduced for security reasons in seven Member States, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, as well as Norway.
However, the bottom line is that the CTA is incompatible with membership of the Schengen Area Borders Code.
Despite the political sea change in the UK, it is difficult to see that, post-Brexit, the Labour government would go out of its way to begin its new relationship with Ireland by embarking on a complicated and long drawn out recalibration of the CTA, in order to optimise the position of Irish travellers within the EU, while not being able to accord improved or similar advantages to UK citizens in Northern Ireland. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN McDONALD,
Terenure,
Dublin 12.