The European Council and European Parliament announced today (Tuesday) that they have reached a provisional agreement to revise the rules governing the suspension of visa-free travel for citizens of non-EU countries. The goal of the amendment is to enhance the European Union’s ability to respond to abuses and security threats linked to visa exemptions.
According to a statement issued by the EU, the revised mechanism introduces broader criteria for suspending visa-free status. Among the new grounds are inconsistencies between a third country’s visa policies and those of the EU — especially if the country is geographically close and serves as a transit hub for irregular migration, reports Al-Rai daily.
Additional triggers include the operation of citizenship-by-investment schemes, the presence of hybrid threats, deficiencies in legislation or document security, and diplomatic tensions, particularly in cases involving human rights violations or serious breaches of the United Nations Charter.
The agreement also sets specific benchmarks that could trigger a suspension, such as a 30% increase in asylum applications, entry refusals, or overstays from the concerned country. Another indicator would be if fewer than 20% of asylum applications from that country are approved.
The amendment extends the initial suspension period from 9 months to 12 months and allows for further extension up to 24 months — an increase from the current 18-month maximum.
In cases where a country fails to resolve the issues that led to the suspension, the EU will have the authority to permanently revoke its visa waiver privileges.
Notably, the revised rules also enable the EU to impose targeted travel restrictions on specific government officials and diplomats responsible for human rights violations, rather than applying a blanket suspension to all citizens of the country.
The proposed amendments will be formally adopted once they receive final approval from the European Council and the European Parliament.
