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Is Eurostar affected by the EU?

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Up_Tilt_390

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DISCLAIMER: This post is not suppose to spark any political debate, opinions, or anything else. It's a simple question.

Anyway, with the announcement that Britain's referendum on membership of the European Union is to take place on 23 June, I wondered that in the likely event of an "Out" vote winning, or a Brexit as they like to call it, then this is obviously going to affect immigration policies.

But Eurostar comes to mind with the idea that this particular company could be affected by whatever vote comes out. I've used Eurostar before, so I know it has passport checks and check-ins, just like international airline travel. So really, the question is simply this: is Eurostar affected by the European Union and it's policies? And if so would the event of a Brexit cause problems for the company? Thanks.
 
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Clip

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Not a lot I should imagine - you would still need your passport to get through at both ends and maybe a visa if the rest of Europe got in the huff about it.
 

thealexweb

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Nothing would change. You would still need a passport but critically no visa would be needed. With a UK passport you can travel to 170ish countries without visas, would France really be so stubborn? No, they would not.
 

Hophead

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Well, we're presuming the OP is British and holds the appropriate passport. Could be that it's the UK that gets stroppy and requires the visa :grin:
 

LNW-GW Joint

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More generally, the UK, France and Belgium all conform to the various EU "Railway Packages" legislation for inter-operation (eg train certification).
If we left and chose not to conform to the interoperability TSIs (as in the "get rid of EU red tape" agenda), there would be a problem.
In practice we will have to conform anyway, in order to run trains on the continent.
Then there's the fact that the Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel and Eurostar are all largely in French ownership.
 

TheKnightWho

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More generally, the UK, France and Belgium all conform to the various EU "Railway Packages" legislation for inter-operation (eg train certification).
If we left and chose not to conform to the interoperability TSIs (as in the "get rid of EU red tape" agenda), there would be a problem.
In practice we will have to conform anyway, in order to run trains on the continent.
Then there's the fact that the Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel and Eurostar are all largely in French ownership.

It's all very well to get rid of all the red tape, until suddenly no-one lets you cooperate with them anymore ;)
 

rf_ioliver

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It's all very well to get rid of all the red tape, until suddenly no-one lets you cooperate with them anymore ;)

And then there's a point for all that "red tape"...minor things like safety, interoperability etc...

Of course the red tape makes for great "Unelected EU bureaucrats ..." headlines in the DM, up until there's an accident etc when the very same publication calls for "something to be done" etc...

There's been an interesting discussion about what happens with air travel in the event of the UK leaving the EU and the fact that the UK either has to comply with EASA regulations without any input on those regulations or negotiate separately with 28 nations ... and those seem to be the best outcomes...

t.

Ian
 

stut

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If we left the customs union (who knows) then there'd be a potential impact on travel. Hope it's not a return to the 'fun' of 30+ minute queues to exit Dover Eastern Docks that we used to enjoy on busy days in the 80s...
 

Harlesden

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Well, we're presuming the OP is British and holds the appropriate passport. Could be that it's the UK that gets stroppy and requires the visa :grin:

Although a little off topic. Britain ran Jamaica for hundreds of years and its citizens were automatically British citizens. But then Britain suddenly decides it wants people from Jamaica (its former colony) to have a visa before they are allowed on the flight. I know one Jamaican British Citizen has to remain separated from his wife resident of five years simply because the British High Commission in Jamaica reject every visa application she makes.
 

Busaholic

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DISCLAIMER: This post is not suppose to spark any political debate, opinions, or anything else. It's a simple question.

Anyway, with the announcement that Britain's referendum on membership of the European Union is to take place on 23 June, I wondered that in the likely event of an "Out" vote winning, or a Brexit as they like to call it, then this is obviously going to affect immigration policies.

But Eurostar comes to mind with the idea that this particular company could be affected by whatever vote comes out. I've used Eurostar before, so I know it has passport checks and check-ins, just like international airline travel. So really, the question is simply this: is Eurostar affected by the European Union and it's policies? And if so would the event of a Brexit cause problems for the company? Thanks.

You say you're not wanting to spark political debate, then come out with 'in the LIKELY event of an 'out' vote'. Incredible! As far as I know, no reputable public opinion poll has shown the antis in the lead.
 

Up_Tilt_390

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You say you're not wanting to spark political debate, then come out with 'in the LIKELY event of an 'out' vote'. Incredible! As far as I know, no reputable public opinion poll has shown the antis in the lead.

Public opinion polls also said that Labour and the Conservatives would be neck and neck in the 2015 election, then the outcome came showing a Conservative victory and massive Labour losses, polls can't be trusted. From who and what I have seen there's huge support for the out vote. Thankfully it isn't too relevant to the topic in discussion, but if you wish to tell me more from what you have seen such as other people's stance, or anything else, then do feel free to send me a PM.
 

TheKnightWho

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Public opinion polls also said that Labour and the Conservatives would be neck and neck in the 2015 election, then the outcome came showing a Conservative victory and massive Labour losses, polls can't be trusted. From who and what I have seen there's huge support for the out vote. Thankfully it isn't too relevant to the topic in discussion, but if you wish to tell me more from what you have seen such as other people's stance, or anything else, then do feel free to send me a PM.

Polls not being perfect does not mean you can just project whatever opinion you like onto them.

What is more likely is that people who are out are very loud about it, but that we will see a lot of people voting in in the same fashion they did in Scotland - because the status quo is safe. The fact that polls already show in far in the lead means there's little chance of us leaving.
 

jopsuk

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if we were to leave the customs union (EEA) that would have an impact; it would mean much more control on what you can take in or out. But then we might not leave the EEA- it's a bigger treaty agreement than the EU, much like the ECHR (which so many "out" people don't appreciate- if the referendum is purely about the EU then we stay in the ECHR)
 

NY Yankee

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Although a little off topic. Britain ran Jamaica for hundreds of years and its citizens were automatically British citizens. But then Britain suddenly decides it wants people from Jamaica (its former colony) to have a visa before they are allowed on the flight. I know one Jamaican British Citizen has to remain separated from his wife resident of five years simply because the British High Commission in Jamaica reject every visa application she makes.

Brixton is practically part of Jamaica. If/when I visit London, I'm going to stop by the Notting Hill Carnival.
 

Hornet

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Polls not being perfect does not mean you can just project whatever opinion you like onto them.

What is more likely is that people who are out are very loud about it, but that we will see a lot of people voting in in the same fashion they did in Scotland - because the status quo is safe. The fact that polls already show in far in the lead means there's little chance of us leaving.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opini..._referendum#Standard_polling_on_EU_membership
 

Phil.

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Although a little off topic. Britain ran Jamaica for hundreds of years and its citizens were automatically British citizens. But then Britain suddenly decides it wants people from Jamaica (its former colony) to have a visa before they are allowed on the flight. I know one Jamaican British Citizen has to remain separated from his wife resident of five years simply because the British High Commission in Jamaica reject every visa application she makes.

You left out the bit that runs, "but then Jamaica wanted independence from the mother country and in 1960 was granted it".
"Jamaican British". Do you mean British of Jamaican descent or a person holding dual Jamaican/British citizenship?
Although UK residents don't need a visa to enter Jamaica
they are limited to a 90 day stay with the passport being stamped with the required leaving date.
 

Orkneytim

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Surely we would have no right to have UK customs and immigration officials on French soil and vice versa? As a non member of the EU, all reciprocal arrangements regarding Immigration and Customs would no longer be in force.

Could this not mean that in turn, all passengers would be de-trained at Calais Fretun from Eurostar services to be processed through French immigration and customs in each direction as this would now be the border entry point into the EU?
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Surely we would have no right to have UK customs and immigration officials on French soil and vice versa? As a non member of the EU, all reciprocal arrangements regarding Immigration and Customs would no longer be in force.

Could this not mean that in turn, all passengers would be de-trained at Calais Fretun from Eurostar services to be processed through French immigration and customs in each direction as this would now be the border entry point into the EU?

The immigration and customs arrangements linked to Eurotunnel operation (including Eurostar) are the subject of a specific UK-France treaty, so would not end just because we left the EU.
They were drawn up in the context of EU membership, but it all pre-dated Schengen, free movement and the abolition of customs.
I don't see anything changing, unless either side wanted to be particularly vindictive and isolationist (always possible).
 

Clip

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Brixton is practically part of Jamaica. If/when I visit London, I'm going to stop by the Notting Hill Carnival.

It really isnt.

And as someone said you wont find the notting hill carnival there if you do v isit.
 

WestCoast

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There's one example of this type of arrangement I can think of that has nothing to do with the EU; US Custom and Border Protection officers work at Dublin and Shannon Airports in Ireland to pre-clear passengers travelling to the US on flights.

The BA flight from London City Airport to New York JFK stops at Shannon to refuel and on some trips, passengers are cleared for entry into the US.

The US also has a similar arrangement in a number of other jurisdictions e.g. Canada and the UAE. There is no reverse of this process i.e. Ireland does not have immigration officers in the US.
 

Ianno87

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It really isnt.

And as someone said you wont find the notting hill carnival there if you do v isit.

Nowadays, Brixton is becoming increasingly gentrified, pushing the traditional ethnicities that live there out to the margins (sadly, some might say)

Anyway, I'm not sure how one can make a statements of "Brixton being practically part of Jamaica" having never visited and experienced the sheer diversity of London.
 

jopsuk

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The BA flight from London City Airport to New York JFK stops at Shannon to refuel and on some trips, passengers are cleared for entry into the US. .

Used to be both flights; staffing was cut from two shifts to one shift so the later flight now goes to International Arrivals at JFK
 
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