The European Commission presented the action plan for visa liberalisation to the Armenian authorities in Yerevan on Wednesday 5 November, according to a press release.
This plan will enable reforms to be carried out “in key areas such as travel document security, border and migration management, public order, external relations and fundamental rights issues in Armenia”. The Commission will regularly assess Armenia’s progress.
The EU-Armenia dialogue on visa liberalisation was launched in September 2024. Once Armenia has met all the criteria set out in the action plan, Armenian citizens – who have already benefited from a visa facilitation agreement since 2014 – will be able to travel to the EU without a visa for short stays of less than three months.
The criteria in the action plan include the following: - adoption of a clear timeframe for the complete roll-out of biometric ICAO-compliant passports and of travel documents, in accordance with international standards, and for the complete phasing out of old passports; - implementation of regular assessment and follow-up mechanism established by the Armenian authorities of possible security or immigration risks to the EU resulting from Armenia’s visa policy; - enhancing cooperation with the EU to effectively address the issue of non-recovery of debts incurred by Armenian nationals staying within the Schengen area in relation to the healthcare system; - the continued application of the EU-Armenia readmission agreement.
Link to the action plan: https://aeur.eu/f/jao (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)