BRUSSELS (Chatnewstv.com) — The Council of the European Union on Monday gave its final approval to updated rules that make it easier and faster for the bloc to suspend visa-free travel for citizens of third countries entering the Schengen area.
The amended mechanism aims to combat the abuse of visa-free status and allows the EU to react more vigorously when such arrangements work against the Union’s interests.
The regulation introduces several new grounds for triggering a suspension:
Lack of Visa Policy Alignment: The EU can revoke visa-free status if a third country fails to align its visa policy with the EU’s.
“Golden Passport” Schemes: The mechanism can be activated if a country operates an investor citizenship scheme that grants citizenship without a genuine link to the country.
Deteriorating Relations: Visa exemptions can be stopped if the EU’s relations with a country deteriorate, for instance, due to human rights violations.
The updated rules also lower the quantitative thresholds needed to trigger the suspension mechanism, making it easier to take action.
“The amended rules will allow the EU to react quicker and more vigorously to situations where visa-free travel is being abused or works against its interests,” the Council stated in a press release.
Key changes to the procedure include:
Lowered Thresholds: A 30% increase in cases of refused entry, overstay, asylum applications, or serious criminal offenses—down from the previous 50%—is now enough to quantify a substantial increase.
Extended Suspension: The initial suspension period is increased from nine months to 12 months, with the possibility of a further extension of 24 months (up from 18 months). This longer period is designed to allow the EU more time to engage with the third country to remedy the situation.
Targeted Approach: The new rules allow for a selective suspension during the 24-month extension phase. Instead of automatically affecting the entire population, the EU could choose to target only government officials and diplomats.
The new regulation will enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the EU’s Official Journal. The visa suspension mechanism, which has been in place since 2013 as a safeguard against abuse, has only been applied once prior to this reform.
