On Wednesday 17 April, MEPs approved new European rules for issuing short-stay visas in the EU by 428 votes to 123, with 56 abstentions.
By adopting the report by Spain's Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D), they approved an increase in the price of visas for travellers from non-Member State from 60 to 80 euros. Reduced prices may be applicable according to age or profile, for example for artists or students, and there were changes to the ease of obtaining visas, with the possibility of submitting this visa application 9 months in advance.
So-called bona fide travellers, who travel frequently and whose history does not show any particular problems when travelling to the EU, will be eligible for multiple-entry visas that have an extended validity of up to 5 years.
Security for this type of traveller will be the same as that required for other travellers, Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos assured during a debate on Wednesday; the increase in fees would be used to finance these security measures and Member States' consular staff.
The new rules also provide for conditionality: visa fees, the time in which a decision is made, and the validity period for multiple-entry visas could be adapted if a non-Member State shows "sufficient" cooperation or, on the contrary, if "insufficient" cooperation is shown regarding the readmission of irregular migrants. The Commission will carry out an annual evaluation. Link to the report: https://bit.ly/2G2LClE (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)