Travellers in Ireland may soon find they are unable to travel to the United States or Canada for at least three months.
The country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has announced a ban on travellers from some European countries including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, saying that it would not be in the best interests of the European Union.
Mr Flanagan said the restrictions were “designed to make sure that the safety of our citizens, and that of our allies, is not compromised in any way”.
He told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland programme that Ireland’s new travel restrictions were not aimed at the EU, but instead “to make sure the safety and security of our people, our allies and partners are not compromised”.
“This is the ultimate travel restriction,” Mr Flanagan added.
We do that by being very cautious in terms of the number of people who come to Ireland.””
The reason for that is that we want to make certain that when it comes to the protection of our nationals in our country, the safety, the security of those citizens in the EU are not jeopardised in any manner.”
We do that by being very cautious in terms of the number of people who come to Ireland.
“The measures come amid a spike in the number and types of migrants attempting to enter the country.
Ireland’s Border Agency has recorded a staggering 8.8 million asylum applications since January, a spike of nearly 30 per cent.
At the peak of the asylum crisis, there were more than 4,000 people a day attempting to reach Ireland.”
The Government is determined to make the best use of the resources that are available,” Mr Flannagan said.”
However, we also need to ensure that when we are able to, that those resources are utilised in a way that makes sure that we are protecting the interests of our friends and allies as well as the interests the safety-and-security of the Irish people is not at risk.
“The new restrictions will come into force from January.
However, many European nations have already announced travel bans and restrictions to the US and Canada, citing security concerns.
The US has issued a travel warning for the US, saying it will “immediately” impose a 90-day travel ban on anyone who is from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen.
Europeans have also imposed travel restrictions on some other countries.
The UK, which is also part of the EEA, said on Thursday that it will temporarily ban people from six countries: Afghanistan, Iraq (including Isis), Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman.
The Irish government has also introduced restrictions to several other countries, including Greece, Croatia and Macedonia.