European Commission proposes strengthening mechanisms for visa suspension

The European Commission has submitted a package of proposals to better preserve EU external borders and more efficient management of illegal immigration. In this package among other things, the European Commission has also proposed strengthening visa liberalisation mechanisms for those countries whose citizens can enter the EU without visas.

The suspension mechanisms of visa liberalisation already exist according to the 2018 regulation.

With the new European Commission proposal, visa liberalisation could also be suspended due to the failure to adapt the visa regime of those countries with the EU visa regime for third citizens.

The European Commission has cited the Western Balkans region as an example, proving that a country can become a transit point for illegal immigrants towards the EU because it can enter a neighbouring country without visas

European Commission sources have specifically mentioned Serbia, which had stripped citizens of visas from countries like Cuba, Tunisia, Burundi, and several other countries to enter Serbia. This had influenced a number of citizens of these countries to enter Serbia without visas and then move to the European Union.

Only after the European Union's insistence had Serbia begun to adapt its visa regime to that of the European Union. The requirement for adapting to the EU visa regime has been made available to other Balkan countries in the region.

Serbia, early in 2022, has had visa liberalisation for 22 states, which have not had a liberalisation for movement in the EU. That number has now been reduced to 12, but the Commission urges Serbia to continue to score progress in this direction.

Most progress in adapting to EU visa policy has marked Northern Macedonia, while more progress is required by Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

All Western Balkan countries enjoy EU visa liberalisation. Even for Kosovo, the EU has approved the decision on visa liberalisation, and it will start to apply on January 1st, 2024.

When these Western Balkan partner countries have made progress in adapting the visa regime to that of the EU, this has had an impact on reducing the number of illegal immigrants to the EU through this road”, the European Commission report says.

The European Commission has also released the sixth monitoring report on mechanisms for suspending visa liberalisation for countries in the Western Balkan region.

The report concludes that all these states should take further steps to adapt to EU visa policy and continue their efforts to prevent baseless asylum applications. Additional efforts must also be made to prevent illegal immigration, as well as the fight against organised crime and corruption”, the EC report said.

According to current mechanisms for suspension of visas, this process can only be launched on specific occasions, such as the immediate and significant increase in the number of illegal immigrants or risk to national security.

There are four scenarios when the visa suspension mechanism will be activated:

1. In case of significant growth over 50% of irregular migration.

2. In the event of considerable growth over 50% of low-level asylum requirements, about 3-4%.

3. In the event of the decline in co-operation for the repatriation of citizens expelled from the EU, as a result of the irregular stance.

4. In the event of increased risk for the security of EU member states, especially for serious criminal acts.

According to the European Commission's proposal Wednesday, the reason for the suspension of liberalisation is “insufficient compliance with the EU visa regime, hybrid threats and the existence of granting citizenship for investment”.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson has said it is very important to stop the practice of selling passports from countries enjoying visa liberalisation.

There are “states that enjoy visa liberalisation and that sell citizenship to different persons, often with criminal files, with changed names, and then they can enter the EU without visas”, she said.

With that it has argued proposals that countries, which will thus sell their citizenship, face the possibility of suspending visa liberalisation on the part of the EU.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas has said that the particular focus on common migration policy should be the successful repatriation of those whose stance on the European Union territory has been rejected.

He has stressed that at this point many EU states have not successfully expelled the persons for whom the authorities have been issued to launch EU territory. This, he says, has influenced the streets of European cities to have people with illegal attitudes involved in acts of crime and terrorism.

“Even the chief terrorist attack in Brussels, even in France, have been standing illegally, even though they had orders to release the territory of these countries”, Schinas has said.

He has added that no policy of migration management will succeed without success in repatriating persons who cannot stay on EU territory.