After weeks of negotiations, the European Parliament and Council of the EU reached agreement on Wednesday 7 December on the mechanism for suspending visa-free travel schemes to allow the more rapid and easier reintroduction of visa requirements.
On Thursday 8 December, the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee approved this interinstitutional agreement by a wide majority (37 to 9 with 5 abstentions). The presidents of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, had promised this by the end of the year (see EUROPE 11675). This means that Georgia (see EUROPE 11639) and Ukraine (see EUROPE 11670) – and later Kosovo and even Turkey – will be able to benefit from visa-free travel for their passport-holders.
Parliament and the Council clashed over how the visa-free travel scheme suspension mechanism would be activated and their respective responsibilities. Both member states and the European Commission could start the suspension of visa-free travel. After notification by a member state (or a request from a simple majority of member states), or following a report it draws up itself, the Commission would have a month to decide whether or not to suspend visa-free travel for a nine-month period (Parliament wanted six months and the Council a year). The decision would come into force automatically.
After this initial phase, a second suspension decision could be taken, this time involving Parliament, for a period of 18 months, explained a Council source.
Suspension of visa-free travel should not cover all the country’s passport-holders, but only a few categories. This would be studied on a case-by-case basis, explains the source. Under the agreement, a suspension of the visa exemptions could cover a non-EU country in one or more of the following cases: - a hike in the number of its passport-holders wishing to enter the European Union but being rejected or found to be in the EU illegally; - a hike in the number of unfounded requests for asylum; - lack of cooperation on the return of migrants to countries of origin or transit (readmission).
During the suspension period, the Commission would have to try to find solutions together with the country in question to the problems that led to the suspension. If the situation is ongoing, the Commission would have up to two months after the end of the nine-month suspension to unveil a proposal to extend the temporary suspension of visa-free travel for an additional 18-month period. MEPs and member states could oppose such a decision.
Although agreement has been reached, work still needs to be done to finalise the visa-free travel schemes whose fate the Council has connected with this suspension mechanism. Interinstitutional trilogue talks will resume on this issue to confirm that the visa-free travel schemes may be granted since Parliament (next week) and the Council still need to officially ratify this work.
Once published in the Official Journal, these visa-free travel schemes will be granted within 20 days. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)