EU updates visa suspension mechanism. This also applies to Ukraine

The European Union is tightening visa suspension rules to better respond to situations where they are abused. This includes increasing the number of reasons and the duration of sanctions.

This is reported by the Council of the European Union.

The EU has had a mechanism in place since 2013 that allows for the suspension of visa-free travel with third countries. Now, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a preliminary agreement to renew this mechanism.

Here are the new grounds on which the EU may suspend visa-free travel:

• the country allows visa-free travel to others, which leads to an increase in illegal entry into the EU through it;
• the country grants citizenship in exchange for investment;
• there are document security issues or other hybrid threats;
• relations between the country and the EU are deteriorating — for example, due to violations of human rights or the UN Charter.

They also want the duration of the temporary suspension of the visa-free regime to be increased from nine to 12 months, with the possibility of an extension for another 24 months instead of 18. The additional 24 months will not automatically affect the entire population, but if they are introduced, the EU may decide to target restrictions on government officials and diplomats.

This period will allow the European Commission to initiate a dialogue so that the country concerned can eliminate the circumstances that led to the sanctions. If the European Commissionʼs demands are not met, the visa-free regime may be permanently revoked.

The preliminary agreement now needs to be ratified by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, after which the new rules will officially enter into force.

• The EU currently has a visa-free regime with 61 countries outside the bloc. Another 25 countries have visa waiver agreements with the EU. Nine were exempted from the visa requirement as a result of the successful completion of the visa liberalisation dialogue. These are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and the partially recognised Kosovo.

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