European Parliament adopted suspension mechanism for visa waivers during the plenary sitting on December, 15, according to press release of EP.
Document was approved by 485 votes to 132 with 21 abstentions.
“We have succeeded in creating a more flexible and operational tool, while ensuring respect for human rights and a key role for the European Parliament. I am confident that following the approval of the suspension mechanism, the Council will cooperate fully to ensure that the proposals to grant visa waivers to Georgia and Ukraine are processed smoothly, given that both countries fulfilled the requested criteria some time ago”, – said EP rapporteur for the proposal, Agustín Díaz de Mera.
The draft regulation still has to be formally approved by the Council of the EU. It will enter into force twenty days after its publication in the EU Official Journal.
Visa waiver suspension mechanism
As it was noted before, visa waiver suspension mechanism can be applied to all existing visa liberalisation agreements.
In the revised mechanism it became easier for member states to notify circumstances which might lead to a suspension – both EU member states and the European Commission will be able to trigger the visa waiver suspension mechanism. Following a notification by a member state (or a request by a simple majority of member states), or based on its own report, the Commission will have one month in which to decide to suspend a visa waiver for nine months. The member state concerned may in its notification specify which categories of nationals of the third country concerned the member state considers should be covered by suspension.
During the suspension period, the Commission should try, together with the country concerned, to find solutions to the circumstances that led to the suspension.
If the situation persists, the Commission will have to present, at the latest two months before the end of the nine-month period, a proposal to prolong the temporary restoration of visa requirements for an additional 18 months. Both MEPs and member states may object to this decision.
The Commission will also be in charge of monitoring the situation in visa-exempt countries and reporting, at least once a year, to Parliament and the Council on whether they still fulfil visa waiver conditions such as respect for human rights.
Grounds for suspension extended to:
– decrease in cooperation on readmission
– substantial increase in the refusal rate of readmission applications, including for third-country nationals in transit
– substantial increase in the risk to public policy or internal security of the member states
– substantial increase in refusals of entry to nationals of that third country
Adoption of the suspension mechanism opens the way to adoption of proposal on Ukraine’s visa waiver as it was stated by Coreper. At the same time, indicative plenary sitting date for proposal was shifted from February,2 to April, 3.
