‪Austria: Schengen Agreement Suspended as Chancellor Faymann Rails at EU Border Policy‬

Scottish Independence: EU May Force Border Terms

THE SCOTSMAN: SCOTLAND will be required to join a Europe-wide free travel zone as a condition of European Union membership, in a move which could force Ireland and England to do likewise, a new paper claims.

A report by Strathclyde University academic Professor Robert Wright argues European Union nations would insist Scotland joined the Schengen area, the passport-free zone which covers almost all of the EU.

As the UK and Ireland are not part of Schengen, Scotland would therefore no longer be part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) within the British Isles, raising the prospect of checkpoints and patrols at the Scotland- England border, he adds.

However, Prof Wright says that in this scenario, Ireland would be likely to follow suit and join Scotland in the Schengen area. That would leave the rump UK as the only EU nation outside the EU-wide free travel zone, putting it under “considerable pressure” to join, he says. » | Eddie Barnes | Thursday, October 31, 2013

Germany Threatens to Reintroduce Border Checks in Row over Tunisian Refugees
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Germany has threatened to reinstate border checks "against the interests" of the EU's free movement zone in an escalating row with Italy over Tunisian refugees.

Italy has promised to give over 20,000 Tunisian refugees temporary visas allowing them to travel freely in the border-free Schengen zone, which covers all EU countries except Britain and Ireland.

Over 26,000 illegal migrants have reached Italy by boat through the small Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, which is close to Tunisia. The Italian authorities have insisted other European countries must help take the burden.

Italy said last week that it would give six-month residence permits to all the migrants who have arrived since the beginning of the year.

Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, said: "Thousands, tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of migrants could come from Tunisia. It's a purely European affair."

But during bad-tempered European talks on Monday, Germany warned Italy that it will not accept the migrants and that Berlin will tear up the EU's border-free travel arrangements to stop them. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Monday, April 11, 2011

hier und hier

France Calls on Britain to Accept More Migrants
DAILY EXPRESS: FRANCE wants Britain to sign a deal allowing thousands of migrants to flood into the UK.

Immigrants: Calais border control is stretched. Photo courtesy of Daily Express
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart’s controversial plan to scrap passport controls was announced as migrants in the port staged an angry demo yesterday, waving placards written in flawless English.



The banners expose how Britain’s open-door asylum system and benefits culture are a magnet for Afghans, Kurds and Eritreans. 



Exasperated by the sight of migrants sleeping rough as they try to board England-bound trains and lorries illegally, Mrs Bouchart outlined her scheme to rid Calais of the blight to French Immigration Minister Eric Besson.



“It’s necessary to speed up negotiations with the British because at the moment we’re ready to charter a boat to dump them over there,” she said. She said all Britain had to do was sign up to the Schengen Agreement, which allows anybody to travel between EU states without passports or visas. 



Mr Besson challenged Britain to share responsibility for France’s problem by asking why migrants from places such as Iran, Somalia and Sudan travel across the world to reach the UK. “Britain should step up its controls and take on more of this burden,” he said. “Britain should also question why migrants and the traffickers in migrants believe that the British illegal job market is a golden opportunity.” >>> By Paul Allen and Anil Dawar | Friday, April 24, 2009