London and Dublin plan to create a “mini-Schengen” area to enable business travellers and tourists from fast-growing Asian economies to travel on common visas between the two islands to boost their economies.
The project is part of wider UK and Irish plans for closer economic co-operation in the fields of energy, agribusiness, finance and research and development. The joint economic strategy aims to boost bilateral trade, currently worth almost €50bn a year, and may lead to joint UK and Irish trade missions in some sectors.
“The objective is to create the equivalent of a mini-Schengen zone between Ireland and the UK which will enable all visitors to travel freely between both North and South and the two islands,” an Irish government spokesman told the Financial Times.