The European Commission announced, on Thursday 15 July, that it has proposed to the Council of the European Union to take restrictive measures on the issuance of visas to nationals of three third countries - Bangladesh, Iraq and Gambia - that do not cooperate sufficiently in the readmission of irregular migrants to the EU.
The Commission uses the new reform of the Visa Code to take restrictive measures, but also to give positive incentives to third countries that cooperate properly.
“The proposals adopted today aim to improve the three countries’ cooperation with the Member States on readmission”, explained the Commission, which has chosen to stagger the processing time of visa applications by nationals of these countries and to revoke exemptions from visa fees.
“All applicants must submit a full set of supporting documents and that the 15 calendar day processing time and the issuance of multiple entry visas will be suspended. The optional visa fee waiver for holders of diplomatic and service passports should also be suspended”, the Commission explained.
The Commission criticises the three third countries for not processing readmission cases of their nationals from the EU quickly enough.
EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson presented the proposals, on the same day, to the EU Interior Ministers meeting in Slovenia. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)