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Comment by chasil | Hacker News Reader

I think that we should have a Schengen Area of the Americas, but observing the problems that this has caused the E.U. (Brexit), a proper implementation would require a much more controlled and gradual approach.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

Edit: It would be most pleasant to delete this comment. Drat.

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But Britain was never in the Schengen area. One of their many "we are an island, we are different" privileges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_of_Free_Association is somewhat similar

What's the connection between Schengen and Brexit?

To give more context:

The UK is not and has never been in Schengen.

I guess GP is taking about free movement of EU citizens, but that has nothing to do with Schengen.

Schengen Area has open borders with a common visa policy.

>free movement of EU citizens, [...] has nothing to do with Schengen.

Did you mis-speak?

One of the things leading up to Brexit was politicians claiming we couldn't police our borders without getting out of the EU. That was of course false. Almost the opposite in practical terms.

Presumably, if UK were to return to the EU we would do so without our past veto, and as part of Schengen. That makes it less desirable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

Not all EU countries are in Schengen so why would the UK have to be part of it if it rejoined the EU?

I thought it was a requirement now. The UK got special treatment because it was a founding or very early member of the EU, but now if it wants to rejoin it'll have to join on the same terms a country like Ukraine would.

It's part of the package now. The same thing with the euro for example. New member states are supposed to adopt the euro at one point.

The EU really wants all members to be in Schengen. The UK was allowed to opt out because its membership was so desirable. After the Brexit fiasco it's unlikely that the EU would want them back in so badly that they'd accept another opt-out.

Schengen is not the vehicle for freedom of establishment in the EU. Europe is complicated.

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