Why are we travelling in the opposite direction to Europe?

WHEN we first decided to join what was then the Common Market, now the European Union, I understood that we were joining a union that would act together and work within a common framework.

It would appear that now we are opting out more often than we are following the aims of the original founders.

I do not remember ever being informed of this opting-out choice when we joined.

To date we have refused to agree in 53 different cases to EU measures that have been accepted by the vast majority of the other members. It would further appear that we are being very much influenced by Britain in these opt-out decisions.

To take just some examples. We are told the reason for some of the decisions taken is connected to the common travel area. I have always been at a loss to understand what this means.

I have been told that the common travel area means a guarantee of free travel for people travelling between the Republic and Britain. On further enquiry I was told this freedom to travel applies only to British and Irish people.

I can imagine that if this were to be enforced, then it would be very swiftly challenged by affected EU citizens through Brussels. Under EU rules there is freedom of travel for all citizens within the territory of the union, so what exactly does the common travel area mean and what are the advantages that are supposed to accrue to Irish people under this agreement?

Is it that we don’t have to carry a passport? Even this is negated by the requirement of most travel companies.

This is not a common area in any real form and non-EU citizens do not have common travel rights within it.

Under the terms of the Schengen agreement introduced in 1985, and which has now been signed by 22 EU members (and also, interestingly, by Norway and Iceland), there is complete freedom of travel for all between all these 24 countries.

The only countries that have not signed are Britain, Ireland, Cyprus and the two latest EU members, Bulgaria and Romania.

In the cases of the latter two, they will almost certainly join when all the terms of their membership are fulfilled.

We have therefore a case of 24 countries acknowledging the benefits of Schengen while we do not — a case of everybody being out to step but our Johnny?

We are told that one of the reasons for not joining Schengen, apart from the vague benefits of the common travel area, is the fact that we share a common law system with Britain.

One wonders then how Malta, with a system of law similar to Ireland based on civil law principles and common law, is able to cope with being members of the Schengen area while Ireland cannot.

We joined the euro. Surely there were far more problems to be overcome here than there would be in joining Schengen?

It is important to note that by not joining Schengen we are excluded from taking part in very important decisions regarding the rights of third country nationals, cooperation in the area of security, people- trafficking and certain equality rights of employees.

As many have seen for themselves in their own travels, we are second-class EU citizens of sorts.

In saying we are being unduly influenced by the decisions of Britain one can see this by following some of the debates in the House of Commons.

There is now the possibility of Britain developing a ‘fortress mentality’.

There is even talk of people from Northern Ireland being forced to use passports when travelling between Northern Ireland and Britain. Here again one can ask questions regarding the so-called common travel area.

A Home Office spokesman was quoted in a speech in the House of Commons that when these measures are introduced... “special arrangements will have to be made with Éire” (sic).

From this it would appear we are again slipping into the subservient type of relationship with Britain that we have just recently been able to shrug off and will soon have our contributions at European level reduced to those of an adjunct of Britain.

We are now being asked to vote on the Lisbon Treaty. Unless our Government acts on the principles of the union that we joined in 1972 and accepts majority decisions (here I am not speaking of hair-breadth majorities but clear majorities such as Schengen), I shall think carefully before casting my vote.

I see no reason to cement further our relationship within an organisation whose democratic decisions we very often reject.

Ernest F Crossen

Árd Aoibhinn

Chapelizod

Dublin 20