Search Results for: Schengen

Could an independent Scotland stay in the EU? Yes, no and maybe

Yesterday the EU Commission’s president Barroso said it would be ‘extremely difficult, if not impossible’. I say, ‘Yes and No.’

MEPs object to Malta putting its citizenship up for sale

MEPs have voted against Malta’s controversial scheme to sell Maltese citizenship for €650,000. The scheme is designed to attract wealthy foreigners from countries such as Russia and China, in order to boost the small island’s economy. Malta joined the EU in 2004; it is part of the Schengen area (and has a visa waiver agreement… [Read More]

Stockholm riots and EU populism

Riots have plagued Stockholm satellite-towns over the last five days. Youths set fire to over 30 cars plus state buildings including a nursery, Rågsved police station and a school.

France dismantles Roma camps

By Anna Sonny The controversial dismantling of Roma settlement camps in France has sparked fresh outrage from the EU. Over the past week, French police have evicted hundreds of Roma people residing in makeshift camps near Lille, Lyon and Paris. Around 240 Eastern European Roma were flown back to Bucharest voluntarily, after being given over… [Read More]

Och aye the EU!

By Lucy Hatton Following the announcement that a referendum on Scottish independence is to take place in autumn 2014, debate has raged about what implications this will have for Scotland’s membership of the European Union. Whilst Scottish nationalists, who have called for the referendum, are incredibly optimistic about the future position of Scotland within the… [Read More]

Greece’s Border (De)fence

By Lucy Hatton On Monday, the Greek Government announced its remarkable plans to construct a fence along its border with Turkey in order to curb illegal immigration into the EU, a move the European Commission has denounced as ‘pointless’.

EU’ve Got Mail

Buried amidst the media flurry sparked the recent riots, a seemingly inconsequential nugget of news has slipped largely undetected beneath the public radar.

Border-Free Market

Having trawled through 70,000 pages of police intelligence, Europol has published a report examining serious organised crime within the EU. Although the paper is ostensibly a study of European law enforcement rather than an advisory document, its findings will inevitably have significant ramifications for member states’ immigration strategies, which policy makers would be unwise to… [Read More]

The Greek Wall of Immigration Control

In an attempt to curb its growing illegal immigration crisis, Greece has revealed plans to erect a 128 mile wall along its Turkish border. The Ministry of Public Order has stated that Greece “has reached its limits in taking in illegal immigrants”, with over 100,000 entering the country in 2010.

The wrath of Commissioner Reding

The EU may have spent the last month dithering nervously over the legality of France’s Roma expulsions, but the emergence of a French circulaire has shocked the EU into decisive action, writes Natalie Hamill. In a press briefing yesterday (14th September) the EU Justice Commissioner unleashed a scathing attack on France’s expulsion of its Roma… [Read More]