Outside Schengen.

[Nardini]

Italy, like many member states in the EU is party to the Schengen Agreement, allowing free access across state borders without the need for passport or customs direct control. All very well and good, you say, but we are all in the EU anyway, so we (UK citizens) are OK, yes?

Well, no actually. The latest little bit of tittle-tattle from ex-EU Commissioner, Franco Frattini, is him saying that people from countries that do not form part of the Schengen agreement - which allows passport-free movement between 24 European countries - should be digitally fingerprinted on entry to the EU and their details held on a database.

This means, in case you might have missed the implication, UK citizens. Although, quite where he fancies placing the EU border control would make for interesting reading...

[NickZ]

Originally Posted by Nardini

This means, in case you might have missed the implication, UK citizens. Although, quite where he fancies placing the EU border control would make for interesting reading...

Well no. UK and most other EU members aren't using the Schengen controls. Schengen lets people get one visa instead of 20 or so.

Some of the new EU members have limited travel rights.

[NickZ]

BTW IIRC the UK and Ireland are partial members of the zone. They consult but aren't bound by the Schengen rules.

[Nardini]

Sorry to disagree with you Nick, but the UK (and the Republic of Ireland) are NOT members of the Schengen agreement.

The agreement that remains between the UK and the Schengen group Member States is:

From here:

In accordance with the protocol to the Treaty of Amsterdam, Ireland and the United Kingdom can take part in some or all of the Schengen arrangements if the thirteen Schengen group Member States and the government representative of the country in question vote unanimously in favour within the Council.
In March 1999 the United Kingdom asked to take part in some aspects of Schengen cooperation, namely police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, the fight against drugs and the Schengen Information System (SIS). A Council Decision approving the request by the United Kingdom was adopted on 29 May 2000 [Official Journal L 131 of 01.06.2000].
In June 2000 Ireland too asked to take part in some aspects of Schengen, roughly corresponding to the aspects covered by the United Kingdom's request. The Council adopted a decision approving Ireland's request on 28 February 2002 [Official Journal L 64 of 07.03.2002]. The Commission had issued opinions on the two applications, stressing that the partial participation of these two Member States should not have the effect of reducing the consistency of the acquis as a whole.
After evaluating the conditions that must precede implementation of the provisions governing police and judicial cooperation, the Council decided on 22 December 2004 that this part of the Schengen acquis could be implemented by the United Kingdom [Official Journal L 395 of 31.12.2004].

The important area to consider is that the UK needs a unanimous vote to support any area of disagreement in the favour of the UK position or request (as with the request for access to SIS).

[jowilliams]

If they want to.......they can have my fingerprints!! I have recently decided to stop being an international criminal and am pretty sure that I haven't left any incriminating fingerprints anywhere............
Somehow I doubt that I will be asked!! Pie in the sky!

[Steve Graham]

It actually looks as though Frattini is unaware of the difference between the Schengen countries and the EU, or is just a bit confused.