No approaches were made to my Department by the Belgian authorities with regard to the recent measures they have taken to enforce very strict border controls.
Ireland is not yet a party to the Schengen agreement. However, I am not aware of any specific implications for the Schengen Agreement of the measures now taken by the Belgian authorities.
I understand that the Belgian authorities informed their Schengen partners of their intention to invoke Article 2.2 of the Schengen Convention to re-establish temporary checks at the internal Belgian borders. This decision was taken in the light of a regularisation operation for illegal immigrants in Belgium which has started and the concern that the amnesty might strongly increase the stream of illegal immigrants to Belgium.