A Fistful of Euros has discovered that the UK will join the
new Schengen Information System II, which is designed to allow border control,
customs and police authorities to share information. Under SIS II, information
on suspects, potential illegal immigrants, missing persons and stolen property
can be shared. Biometric data, such as fingerprints and photographs, and
European Arrest Warrants can also be shared.
The fact that the UK is joining in on this aspect of
European integration is not going to be trumpeted from the rooftops of
Westminster in the current Europe-bashing climate. It does point to the fact
that cross-border co-operation on crime and law enforcement is necessary in a
globalised world – and in a common space like the EU in particular. However, UK
citizens aren’t exactly getting the full benefits of the Schengen system.
Passport controls are still an issue, and Britain loses out on potential
tourism from countries such as Japan and China because they are not part of the
common visa.
All the extra security and co-operation that the Schengen
zone entails is meant not only to create better security for the sake of more
security – rather, it is to help create more liberties and freedoms for
citizens. Not for the first time, it seems that security is preferred over
liberty in the UK, at least when it comes to “Europe”.
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