The UK’s bid to access European Union’s shared crime and migration data has met with rejection, according to recent reports. This development is seen as a setback to Keir Starmer’s efforts towards a “reset” in post-Brexit relations with the EU.
British negotiators had been aiming to secure access to the Schengen Information System (SIS), an essential tool for sharing police alerts across borders in the area where 29 countries have abolished passport controls. Additionally, they sought access to the EU’s centralised fingerprinting system, Eurodac, which stores information on individuals who have entered the EU territory irregularly.
Such access would have significantly aided the Labour government’s attempts to address the backlog of asylum claims and appeals, a pressing issue with the rise of right-wing political opponents. The Prime Minister had previously proposed at an Interpol meeting in Glasgow that EU leaders showed interest in providing the UK access to this intelligence database used to identify asylum seekers.
In response to this rebuff, the Conservative transport spokesperson, Daniel Moylan, criticized Starmer’s approach, stating that the Prime Minister has positioned his EU relations “reset” as a solution to Labour’s manifesto pledge to “smash the gangs” involved in illicit Channel crossings.
The UK government has remained tight-lipped about their ongoing discussions with the EU, emphasizing that these talks cover a broad range of topics and that their objectives are to enhance the UK’s safety, security, and prosperity, always acting in the national interest.
Despite the lack of agreement on data access, there is potential progress in discussions concerning travel and work freedoms for young Europeans and Britons. The EU is reportedly willing to make significant concessions that would allow 18- to 30-year-olds to work and travel freely, although some British officials have assertively demanded access to EU databases as a prerequisite for such a Youth Mobility Scheme.
Recent policy negotiations by the previous UK government included a collaboration agreement with the EU’s border agency to mitigate small boats crossing the Channel. However, the lack of access to Eurodac’s fingerprint database, which lost its access following the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020, represents a significant barrier to fruitful cooperation. Access to this information would assist in verifying the legal residence status of individuals in other countries, thereby facilitating returns.
Overall, the UK’s campaign to regain access to vital EU databases remains a crucial aspect of its strategy to strengthen security and manage migration, forming part of the trio of cooperation pillars in the proposed “reset” of UK-EU relations.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/05/uk-access-to-eu-and-migration-data-reportedly-denied
