Expert: Phil Woodford - 6/2/2004

Question
Dear Mr Woodford,

Are you able to inform me as to why the UK has declined to join the "Schengen Agreement" along with the many other European countries?

Us South Africans residing in the UK spend countless hours and money preparing paperwork in order to apply for holiday visa's to Europe ... in particular a day trip to France can take 1 month to obtain a visa!

Yours sincerely.

Answer
Hi there

The bottom line is that Schengen is hugely controversial for two reasons.  First, it symbolises European integration in its most advanced stages and therefore feeds into the debate that rages in the UK about the extent to which we're active participants in the political and economic life of the EU.  Second, because it is concerned with border controls, it also connects with another highly controversial issue: immigration and asylum.  These questions are both political hot potatoes and the current British government can only push its luck so far.

Personally, I sympathise with your predicament.  A work colleague of mine, who had an Australian passport for many years, found himself in a similar position, so I understand the personal inconvenience it causes.  At a political level, I also feel that a truly free market can only exist with open borders and a single currency.  This is seen, however, as a very extreme pro-European view in the current British political climate.

It's worth noting that some of the signatories to the Schengen Accord have, on one or two occasions, suspended membership of the agreement for set periods on security grounds.  This temporary opt-out is permitted, I believe, in the Treaty.

Best wishes

Phil W