On Wednesday 13 February, the Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) confirmed without discussion the agreement reached with the European Parliament on 5 February concerning the new rules on interoperability of European information systems (see EUROPE 12187), but were unable to give their approval to the interinstitutional agreement reached at the end of January (see EUROPE 12182) on reform of the Visa Code, as several delegations had difficulty with a specific article and requested clarification on this matter.
The intention is to clarify the situation quickly, so that the new rules can be enacted during this legislature. The matter could come back to Coreper very soon, either next Wednesday or possibly even this Friday, 15 February.
The new European Visa Code rules introduce changes to the visa fees for people wishing to travel to the EU (from €60 to €80), make the deadline for applying for a visa more flexible, but also establish both a positive and negative link between the granting of visas and the cooperation policy on the return of illegal residents to the EU. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)