EU ministers agree new rules around suspending visa-free travel

"Following the European Parliament approval in October, the EU Council agreed new rules on Monday that will enable the EU to revoke the visa-free status to countries that "do not align with the EU's visa policy", in other words those that allow third country nationals to arrive legally on their territory and then enter EU countries irregularly. Visa-free status would also be revoked for countries that run citizenship by investment schemes or those that are responsible for human rights violations or carry out "hostile acts" against EU member states "with the aim of destabilising or undermining society or institutions which are key for the public policy and internal security". This could include cyber operations, economic espionage or the sabotage of critical infrastructure."

"MEP Matjaž Nemec, lead negotiator on the file for the European Parliament, said in October: "Europe remains the world's most visited continent by tourists and business travellers alike, and our visa policy is therefore one of our strongest foreign policy tools. "With a modernised suspension mechanism, the EU will be able to suspend visa-free travel in the case of serious human rights violations, and can target suspensions at government officials or other groups.""

The EU maintains a visa-free regime with 61 countries plus Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, allowing stays up to 90 days within a 180-day period. The list includes Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. A suspension mechanism established in 2013 allows member states to temporarily suspend visa exemptions to address abuses. New rules adopted after parliamentary approval expand the mechanism with powers to revoke visa-free status for non-alignment with EU visa policy, citizenship-by-investment schemes, serious human rights violations or hostile acts, including cyber operations and economic espionage. The modernised mechanism can target suspensions at specific officials or groups.

Read at The Local France