The TREATY OF MAASTRICHT which was concluded by EU members in 1992 has created many unforseen problems. In particular the enlargement of the EU since 1992 and the influx of immigrants who have migrated from non EU countries, has been a costly experience, especially for Great Britain.
Partly this is entirely the fault of the UK. On the one hand Britain has no system of Identity Cards like most other major countries. Once an illegal immigrant has been smuggled into the UK there is no fast and sure way to trace or track him.
On the other hand, applications for British Citizenship, i.e. passports, are granted without any real conditions. Real conditions implies good behaviour, tax declarations, registering his home address with the local police force and a probationry period of at least five years before unreserved British Citizenship is granted. How often does one read in the press that an immigrant, legal or illegal, has committed crimes ? How many undesirable immigrants have been deported ?
An updating of the Maastricht Treaty is possible and foreseen in the treaty itself. Britain alone cannot do anything if non-EU citizens are not stopped at their point of entry into the EU. Calais is not the only problem the UK has to cover. There are other ports around the EU, including Lampedusa !!! The Human Rights Act also presents a problem; it works in favour of the immigrants, not the EU born residents !!!
If the Conservative Conference this coming week wants to discuss seriously Britain's relations with the EU, it should perhaps decide to provoke a revision of the Maastricht Treaty, which in turn would also require some modifications of the EU treaty.
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