Paris, 29/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The leader of the Belarusian Opposition Alexander Milinkevich has called on the European Union to reduce the cost of visas for Belarusian nationals seeking to enter the Schengen area. “I call on the EU to reduce the cost of visas so that people and especially young people can have the opportunity to visit a democratic country,” said Mr Milinkevich on 26 May in Paris, where he had been invited to take part in the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. At the end of April, the EU decided that the price of a visa to enter the Schengen area would rise from 35 to 60 euro from 1st January 2007, largely because of the introduction of biometric information (finger prints, digital photos) on travel documents (see EUROPE 9181). Mr Milinkevich said his concerns were of direct concern to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, all of which share a border with Belarus and wish to become part of the Schengen area before the end of 2007. “If the EU imposes this increase, it is a gift to Lukashenko,” he said, calling on democratic forces to resist the construction of a “Berlin Wall” between Belarus and the rest of Europe. He also sought the EU's help in accepting students, who had been expelled from their universities after the demonstrations, and the unemployed. He reassured his neighbours that there was little risk, however, of mass emigration of Belarusian workers to Europe, given the history of his country. Mr Milinkevich also called on democratic countries to help Belarus in the field of free information (radio, satellite TV), pointing out that “even Russian television is not available” in Belarus. He also regretted that there was little chance of any democratic candidate being elected in the local elections at the end of 2006 and the legislative elections scheduled for next year. Speaking to EUROPE, Mr Milinkevich concluded by saying that “maybe one day we will have to take the administrations”, in the same way as the other former Soviet republics have done.