Concern among businesses following proposed freedom of movement restrictions, survey reveals

The latest survey on North-South and East-West cooperation conducted by Armagh-based Centre for Cross Border Studies (CCBS) shows that concern is increasing among businesses, communities and individuals following proposals to introduce Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA).

The ETA scheme will potentially require many citizens legally resident in Ireland to seek pre-entry clearance for cross-border journeys into Northern Ireland. The scheme will not impact Irish citizens or those already with permission to enter the UK. However it will impact non-visa nationals who can presently enter the UK without a visa (e.g. EU citizens) and will be required for all cross-border journeys no matter how commonplace e.g. for childcare, shopping trips, school sports or for healthcare.

Tourism leaders north and south of the border are seeking an exemption for short term leisure visits, while the Centre for Cross Border Studies and the Ad-Hoc Group for North-South and East-West Cooperation, which it convenes, have been calling for an exemption for those who are legally resident in the Republic of Ireland.

The survey conducted among 41 civic society organisations and local authorities also shows that 68% of respondents reported that they believe the Protocol is, on balance, a good thing for north-south cooperation while 20% are unsure and 12% believe it is bad. In terms of east-west relations, 56% believe the Protocol is, on balance, a good thing for cooperation while 32% are unsure and 12% believe it to be a bad thing.

CCBS director Dr Anthony Soares says the ETA, Protocol and other factors creating obstacles to north-south and east-west movement are becoming more clearly visible in the aftermath of Brexit.

“The uncertainty that pervaded last quarter’s survey as a result of instability at Westminster is notably absent in this quarter,” said Dr Soares.

“However, we are seeing evidence of a more specific concern rather than the broad anxiety we have seen in earlier surveys. After the initial generalized disruptions arising from Brexit, it is becoming much clearer how intertwined the UK and Irish regulatory landscape was while both were in the EU. The Retained EU Law Bill has focused attention among cross-border organisations to the potentially profound implications of divergence in a more specific sense.”

The Retained EU Law Bill currently in passage in Westminster proposes to repeal EU-derived domestic legislation by the end of this year. The effect of the bill would be to alter the regulatory context for cross-border collaboration and cause potential divergence on such a scale as to negatively impact on cross-border projects.

Dr Soares says the quarterly survey is vital to understanding the extent to which necessary conditions for north-south cooperation are being maintained and how relations between civic society organisations and local authorities on the island of Ireland and Great Britain are being safeguarded.

“It is crucial that cross-border cooperation taking place at informal, local and community levels – which have for decades been the life-blood of cooperation and reconciliation – is made visible and taken into account when considering whether or not conditions for North-South cooperation are indeed being maintained,” added Dr Soares.