EU Border Checks Prevent 1,000 «Dangerous» Individuals from Entering Bloc Since April

Approximately 1,000 individuals deemed a «danger to the EU» have been prevented from entering the bloc due to the controversial new EU border checks, according to Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan. The Entry/Exit System (EES), fully implemented in April, requires citizens from third countries, including the UK, to register fingerprints and have photographs taken upon entering the Schengen Area. This area comprises 29 European countries, predominantly within the EU.

Minister O'Callaghan conveyed this information in Cork following a meeting between the Government and the European Commission. He stated that Magnus Brunner, the EU's Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner, informed him that the EES had successfully intercepted about 1,000 individuals posing a risk to the EU. Despite accusations of causing significant delays at major airports as the summer travel season commences, the minister emphasized the system's primary focus on security.

«I spoke to Commissioner Brunner in respect of this, [he said] that there are approximately 1,000 people who have been identified as being a danger to the European Union, who have been apprehended and stopped as a result of the entry-exit system,» O'Callaghan told reporters. He added, «So, I think it is effective in terms of protecting European Union security.» Since its inception, approximately 110 million people have passed through the EES.

The Schengen Area encompasses Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Ireland has opted out of the Schengen Agreement to maintain its Common Travel Area with the UK.