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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

Opinion: Who will be crowned the Lucia of the Brexit election?

Does a Swedish symbol of light herald the end of the saga of Brexit, asks British writer and PhD student Sarah Campbell in this opinion piece for The Local.

Opinion: Who will be crowned the Lucia of the Brexit election?
Jeremy Corbyn, left, and Boris Johnson. Photo: Modified by The Local based on AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth/Matt Dunham/Jazzanna/Depositphotos.com

When a (presumably by now rather contrite) David Cameron pitched his idea for the dystopian reality series that became Brexit, even he probably didn't imagine that it would be commissioned for such a long run, or that it would conclude in such an extraordinary and improbable cliffhanger.

Not since the epic Britpop chart battle of 1995 has the nation been so polarized by a feud between a slightly scruffy, city-dwelling pacifist and a messy-haired loudmouth with a turbulent relationship with his brother and a reputation for givin' it all that.

But as we head towards what Mr Johnson would have us believe is the season finale on December 12th, the mood in the UK seems to be less 'hazy festival days with a six-pack of lager', and more 'stockpile a six-pack of beans, we might need them come January'.

For those who live in a different country to the one they grew up in, like the 25,000 odd British citizens who've made a home in Sweden, there can be strange sense of detachment from the politics of the country of origin. Watching from afar, heavily invested, yet also disconcertingly distant, living between two worlds, with the unnerving (and ultimately unjustified) feeling that we have no right to comment on the running of either.

But sometimes, two worlds collide. And for the British in Sweden, there can surely be no more perfectly aligned collision of civilizations than that which awaits on this Friday 13th.

Indeed, for us and everyone else who has watched with open mouthed incredulity over the last three years as the saga of Brexit has taken an exhausted Europe through more improbable plot twists than a Midsomer Murders Christmas special, it may surprise you to learn that it won't be John Nettles who finally brings the case to a close, but rather one Sankta Lucia.

Stick with me here.

READ ALSO:

December 13th, the day the results of the British General Election roll in, is, as any Swede knows, also the celebration of St Lucia. On Lucia's day, Sweden celebrates the return of light to the darkness of winter.

Indeed, in schools, preschools and workplaces up and down the land, the Lucia song is sung, and in one version, we sing of light returning to 'our dark house'.

When, let me ask you, has 'our House', the House of Commons, been darker than it is today? More lost, fumbling and in desperate need of someone to light the path ahead of us and restore order to the home of parliament?

Whether you identify as a remainer or leaver, whatever your party affiliation, whoever you are inclined to vote for, it can hardly be denied that British politics needs to move towards calm, it needs clarity, lucid thought, and more than anything, light at the end of the tunnel.

Because, joking aside (and if the last three years have taught us one thing, it's that we really need a don't know whether to laugh or cry emoji), the division, turmoil and chaos which exists in British politics today is no soap opera.

For Britons, both in the UK and abroad, and for EU citizens in Britain, this is about real lives, and the fog of uncertainty brought on since the 2016 referendum, has seemed impenetrable at times, and it hangs above and around us, refusing to clear.

So thank goodness for Lucia, enduring symbol of light, sweeping in with her crown of flames and her merry band of candle-bearing attendants.


Traditional, non politics-related, Lucia celebrations in Sweden. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

And if you're not convinced that this metaphor really works and that Lucia heralds the end of the Brexit dominated drama then consider this; the other thing to remember about Lucia day is that you have to get up very very early. Just as you need to do to see the election results rolling in. Coincidence? Hardly!

But can Lucia foretell exactly which party will win the election? Let's consider the evidence. Lucia always wears a red sash and is accompanied by stjärngossar – star boys. Could this be a sign that the pro EU Labour faction will be ushered in on this day of light at the end of the Brexit tunnel?

Perhaps. But wait.

READ ALSO:

On Lucia, fika is always a lussebulle, unmistakably yellow from the saffron. Does the combo of Lucia's red sash and the yellow baked goods foretell a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition?

Still not convinced that Sweden's favourite midwinter festival is so inextricably linked to the 2019 British General Election that this coincidence simply cannot be ignored?

Well get this: in an ancient version of the Lucia traditions, it was traditional to stay awake all night from the 12th into the 13th doing what was called a lussevaka – a vigil designed to ensure evil forces did not get into your House (of Parliament, remember?). Indeed, in Sweden, the habit of staying up into the small hours to watch any election results roll in is called a valvaka or election vigil.

So, further proof if any were needed that if we stay up late and do a lussevalvaka, the light of a Labour Lib-Dem coalition will usurp the darkness of uncertainty on the morning of December 13th, 2019. And maybe lussevalvaka will become a late contender for årets nyord. We can but hope.

Disclaimer: other theories may apply and other slightly forced cross-cultural metaphors may exist.

But whichever box the UK places its X in on December 12th, even the bitterest of rivals must surely be united in the hope that a brighter future lies ahead for the land which so many of us have called home.

Sarah Campbell is a PhD student and author of Swedish for Parents.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How will the new app for Europe’s EES border system work?

With Europe set to introduce its new Entry/Exit biometric border system (EES) in the autumn there has been much talk about the importance of a new app designed to help avoid delays. But how will it work and when will it be ready?

How will the new app for Europe's EES border system work?

When it comes into force the EU’s new digital border system known as EES will register the millions of annual entries and exits of non-EU citizens travelling to the EU/Schengen area, which will cover 29 European countries.

Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), non-EU residents who do not require a visa will have to register their biometric data in a database that will also capture each time they cross an external Schengen border.

Passports will no longer be manually stamped, but will be scanned. However, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard when the non-EU traveller first crosses in to the EU/Schengen area.

Naturally there are concerns the extra time needed for this initial registration will cause long queues and tailbacks at the border.

To help alleviate those likely queues and prevent the subsequent frustration felt by travellers the EU is developing a new smartphone app.

READ ALSO: What will the EES passport system mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The importance of having a working app was summed up by Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of the EU border agency Frontex in a recent interview.

“Initially, the challenge with the EES will come down to the fact that travellers arriving in Europe will have to have their biographic and biometric data registered in the system – border guards will have to register four of their fingerprints and their facial image. This process will take time, and every second really matters at border crossing points – nobody wants to be stuck in a lengthy queue after a long trip.”

But there is confusion around what the app will actually be able to do, if it will help avoid delays and importantly when will it be available?

So here’s what we know so far.

Who is developing the app?

The EU border agency Frontex is currently developing the app. More precisely, Frontex is developing the back-end part of the app, which will be made available to Schengen countries.

“Frontex is currently developing a prototype of an app that will help speed up this process and allow travellers to share some of the information in advance. This is something we are working on to support the member states, although there is no legal requirement for us to do so,” Uku Särekanno said in the interview.

Will the 29 EES countries be forced to use the app?

No, it is understood that Frontex will make the app available on a voluntary basis. Each government will then decide if, when and where to use it, and develop the front-end part based on its own needs.

This point emerged at a meeting of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee, which is carrying out an inquiry on how EES will impact the UK.

What data will be registered via the app?

The Local asked the European Commission about this. A spokesperson however, said the Commission was not “in a position to disclose further information at this stage” but that travellers’ personal data “will be processed in compliance with the high data security and data protection standards set by EU legislation.”

According to the blog by Matthias Monroy, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP the Frontex app will collect passengers’ name, date of birth, passport number, planned destination and length of stay, reason for travelling, the amount of cash they carry, the availability of a credit card and of a travel health insurance. The app could also allow to take facial images. It will then generate a QR code that travellers can present at border control.

This, however, does not change the fact that fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing into the Schengen area.

So given the need to register finger prints and facial images with a border guard, the question is how and if the app will help avoid those border queues?

When is the app going to be available?

The answer to perhaps the most important question is still unclear.

The Commissions spokesperson told The Local that the app “will be made available for Schengen countries as from the Entry/Exit System start of operations.” The planned launch date is currently October 6th, but there have been several delays in the past and may be another one.

The UK parliamentary committee heard that the prototype of the app should have been ready for EU member states in spring. Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Transport, said the app will not be available for testing until August “at best” and that the app will not be ready in time for October. The committee previously stated that the app might even be delayed until summer 2025.

Frontex’s Särekanno said in his interview: “Our aim is to have it ready by the end of the summer, so it can then be gradually integrated into national systems starting from early autumn”.

READ ALSO: How do the EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Can the system be launched if the app is not ready?

Yes. The European Commission told The Local that “the availability of the mobile application is not a condition for the Entry/Exit System entry into operation or functioning of the system. The app is only a tool for pre-registration of certain types of data and the system can operate without this pre-registration.”

In addition, “the integration of this app at national level is to be decided by each Schengen country on a voluntary basis – as there is no legal obligation to make use of the app.”

And the UK’s transport under secretary Guy Opperman sounded a note of caution saying the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

When the app will be in use, will it be mandatory for travellers?

There is no indication that the app will become mandatory for those non-EU travellers who need to register for EES. But there will probably be advantages in using it, such as getting access to faster lanes.

As a reminder, non-EU citizens who are resident in the EU are excluded from the EES, as are those with dual nationality for a country using EES. Irish nationals are also exempt even though Ireland will not be using EES because it is not in the Schengen area.

Has the app been tested anywhere yet?

Frontex says the prototype of the app will be tested at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, in Sweden. Matthias Monroy’s website said it was tested last year at Munich Airport in Germany, as well as in Bulgaria and Gibraltar.

According to the German Federal Police, the blog reports, passengers were satisfied and felt “prepared for border control”.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

 
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