On 9 April, the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties will vote on the report by Matjaž Nemec (S&D, Slovenian) on the revised mechanism for suspending visa-free regimes for short stays in third countries.
The EU Council adopted its mandate on 13 March and toughened the text on the table (see EUROPE 13370/12). In particular, it aims to add new criteria for suspension, such as the instrumentalisation of migration, the non-alignment of visa policies and the practice of investment schemes in exchange for citizenship.
The rapporteur states in his draft that he is in line with the proposal, but removes the grounds for suspension linked to situations of instrumentalisation.
He also proposes taking a broader view of international relations between the EU and the countries concerned.
The grounds for suspension should include, says his draft: “ - breaches or suspension of bilateral and multilateral agreements between the European Union or the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and the relevant third countries, on the other; - serious breaches of international law and standards, including international humanitarian law, by the relevant third country, including non-compliance with the international court decisions and rulings; - hostile acts or aggression against a third country, including acts of intimidation or intimidation against another third country; - hostile acts or aggression against one or more Member States or the Union by the relevant third country; - serious human rights violations, including criminalisation of abortion, LGBTQ+ persons, as well as the introduction or the use of death penalty by the relevant third country; - the non-compliance with the relevant EU sanctions”.
Negotiations can only take place during the next term of office, as the European Parliament is not in a position to approve the draft report in plenary before the European elections.
Link to the report and amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/bkx ; https://aeur.eu/f/bkw (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)