Ireland may not be able to carry out \u201crobust\u201d identity checks or \u201cadequately conduct screening\u201d of asylum seekers due to the State\u2019s limited access to a key European security database, a government report says. <\/p>\n
The lack of access to three Europe-wide large-scale IT systems, which make up the European Union\u2019s<\/a> interoperability framework, means the State might struggle to complete immigration security screenings and receive and share data with other member states, the Government\u2019s implantation plan for the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum<\/a> says.<\/p>\n The pact, which Ireland has adopted, is due to come into effect in June next year. It is a standardised immigration control system across the 27 EU member states which aims to tackle \u201ckey inefficiencies\u201d and deal with issues around secondary movement among migrants. <\/p>\n The interoperability IT security system allows for co-operation on border and visa issues, policing and judicial matters, and asylum and migration cases across the Schengen area, which is a region of Europe without border checks between countries. Ireland is not a member of Schengen.<\/p>\n The Irish implementation plan warns that the State \u201cmay not be able to carry out\u201d the most robust identity validation in line with the pact\u2019s requirements because Ireland does not have access to the EU\u2019s Entry\/Exit System, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System or the EU Visa Information System.<\/p>\n The entry\/exit system, due to launch in October, is an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries travelling in Schengen area countries. <\/p>\n Ireland is not a part of the Schengen area, but holds a common travel area arrangement with the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n However, concerns have been raised regarding travel between the two jurisdictions since the British government introduced a new digital immigration system in April. <\/p>\n