Electronic Travel Authorisation for international and non-Irish EU citizens branded 'ludicrous'

The council will now write to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Minister for State at the Home Office, Robert Jenrick, to inform them of the serious damage the policy could inflict on the region’s business, tourism and healthcare sectors.

Council will also write to the Minister for Justice in the Republic of Ireland, urging her not to facilitate or co-operate with the imposition of travel requirements.

A belief that the application process and accompanying charges would be an act of legislative sabotage, potentially destroying the post-conflict gains in attracting tourists and business travellers to Northern Ireland was expressed.

Bringing the motion before of the council, Colr. Boyle outlined the implications of the proposed ETA.

He said: “Simply put, international visitors who arrive into the Republic of Ireland for example, would face an unnecessary element of red tape if this scheme to be introduced and I think it’s simply ridiculous to believe that all of those international visitors would be particularly interested in filling out forms for what may be considered a one or two day trip north of the border.

“As we all know, it’s particularly something we witnessed over the last number of years, there have been some significant economic benefits in the tourism sector here. We see coachloads arrive here day and daily particularly through the high season and many of the people on those coaches would have to fill the forms in order to get an ETA and that ETA is going to cost money as well. It’s a ridiculous situation.”

The ETA was described by the SDLP councillor as a measure that would create complications for non-visa nationals residing in Ireland, particularly for those who cross the border on a daily basis before describing it as ‘nonsense’ and ‘an unwelcome development’.

Alliance Councillor Philip McKinney echoed the sentiments, stating: “It’s going to affect people from the USA, Canada, Australia and EAA countries. It’s absolutely ludicrous, it is ludicrous and I believe you have to pay for it so it’s a money making racket as well for the UK government to squeeze more money out of people that can’t afford it.”

Describing the proposed ETA as ‘legislative sabotage’ and ‘just another stage in trying to cut us off from the rest of this island,’ Aontú Colr. Emmet Doyle added: “’I think this is a particularly poignant motion given the mess that the British government has made of their own Brexit backed by the DUP.”

“It’s getting to a point now where I genuinely wonder if some of the Tory ministers could point to Derry on a map because it’s fairly obvious to anybody who had any knowledge of this place that this would have a devastating impact not just on the economy but on our social fabric as well.”

Sinn Féin Councillor John McGowan argued that the ETA was a direct result of Brexit and would complicate the lives of non-visa nationals residing in Ireland.

“There’s parties sitting on here today that cheer-leaded including the DUP and People Before Profit, they cheer-leaded for Brexit and some of them even cheer-leaded for a hard Brexit on this island,” he said.

The Sinn Féin counllors talked about how the Good Friday Agreement was aimed at reducing borders in areas such as tourism, health, trade, and education, but the introduction of the ETA has complicated matters.

“Brexit is solely about barriers and borders and the Good Friday Agreement was about breaking them down,” he continued.

Colr. McGowan went on to raise concerns about the impact of the ETA on the tourism industry, which had already suffered a 20% drop in EU visitors since Brexit. He noted that many European visitors do not have passports, and therefore would be unable to obtain an ETA. As a result, the ETA would make it more difficult for visitors to travel to the north. “It’s going to cost jobs, it’s going to cost thousands of jobs in this part of the island if we don’t do something about it,” he warned.

He highlighted the fact that the majority of visitors to the island fly into Dublin, which brings in 33 million visitors a year, whereas the two airports in Belfast bring in only a third of that number. “We’re now expecting them to fill in these forms and come across the border,” he said.

He described the ETA as a “direct attack on the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement” and argued that it would make cross-border working in areas such as tourism, health, and education much more difficult. “This now means that Tourism Ireland has to go and sell a show in Europe or abroad and say by the way if you’re not going to go north you need a passport and need an ETA, it’s making that twice as difficult,” he concluded.

DUP Alderman Maurice Devenney acknowledged concerns surrounding the ETA’s impact on tourism and non-citizen residents of the Republic of Ireland.

He emphasised the importance of removing any travel friction between the two jurisdictions, regardless of one’s position on Brexit.

Alderman Devenney dismissed the SDLP motion’s reference to entry and exit points, calling it an inaccurate depiction of how the ETA will work in practice. He stated that practical solutions are achievable and that the Home Office has committed to mitigating any concerns the ETA may have on tourism.

He added: “Our party has been very, very clear and have been in debates with the government in and around an amendment to support the Nationality and Borders bill at Westminster, to take into account that Northern Ireland is in a unique geographic and economic position.”

He called on all MPs to keep the argument alive before giving his party’s support to the motion.

People Before Profit Colr. Shaun Harkin stated everyone should be able to cross freely and without bureaucracy.

“It is worrying right now that the kind of capitalism that some people in the chamber promote is developing more and more barriers for people,” he said.

“You look across the European Union, you look at the the way the British government operates, all these big powers and big governments, they want more and more barriers they want more and more ways of regulating what people do and they want to create an in and out and an us and them and that’s why we’re for getting rid of partition in this island and establishing a socialist Ireland.”

UUP Alderman Derek Hussey said: “I respect the right of every country to protect its borders, but sorry GB, you’ve got this one wrong, it’s as simple as that. Take it back to the drawing board.”

He also noted that Colr. McGowan had referred to parties that did or did not support Brexit, and claimed that Sinn Féin itself had wanted to leave the European Union not too long ago.

Independent Councillor Gary Donnelly criticised the terminology used in the motion, stating ‘as a republican, it’s absolutely shocking.’

He criticised the use of terms ‘Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,’ which he felt were used out of context adding that it was a normalisation of British rule.

He said: “Partition is the problem on this island and there’s absolutely no doubt about that.”

"There’s two separate states here and one is run by Westminster and no matter what people or how people try to dress it up that was aided by the Belfast Agreement which says that there will be no change in the Constitutional status without the support of the majority of people within what they called Northern Ireland, the six counties.

“It’s been said here that this is an attack on the Good Friday Agreement. The only thing that the Good Friday Agreement did was copper-fasten British rope and copper-fasten partition, that’s the reality.

“What Brexit has done is highlight the absurdity of the British border in Ireland and that’s why we find all these problems here. The Good Friday Agreement has just been an updating of British rule in Ireland, it’s another step and in a counter democratic process.”

“Reality is no matter what way we dress it up it isn’t working. Partition hasn’t worked, and partition never will work. So as long as we have partition then we’re going to have these problems and all the problems that went before it and further problems.”

The motion passed with 34 votes for and 2 abstentions.

Gillian Anderson

Local Democracy Reporter