Schengen Visa

Georgia, Kosovo, Ukraine’s visa-free access to EU delayed:

The Wall Street Journal reports that the bloc’s powerful member states have raised new concerns regarding Ukraine, Georgia, and Kosovo’s visa-free grants, subsequently pushing the approval on to September at the earliest.

Organized crime deriving from Georgian gangs takes place as a major concern for Germany, while France is concerned that the visa waivers could create further security vulnerabilities at times of heightened terror fears.

In recent months, the European Commission recommended visa-free status for Georgia, Kosovo, Ukraine, and Turkey. While the latter’s bid has been put on the back burner as EU and Turkish officials are now targeting an October deal until Ankara completes several final tasks. The other countries’ bids, on the other hand, were expected to move rapidly.

Georgia is waiting for a decision on the matter, since December. Kosovo’s bid was expected to win backing within three-to-six months since the Commission’s recommendation in May. Whereas, Ukraine since April.

However, on Wednesday, June 8, when the ambassadors of 28 EU nations met in Brussels, the sufficient support required to back the move toward the visa lift has failed to be gathered, reports WSJ.

EU officials and diplomats maintain that September appears to be the earliest date for the EU governments and the European Parliament to sign off the agreements.

Italy and France agree that the decision should wait until the approval of new rules, which will allow easier suspension for visa-free regimes in case of abuse. Other countries have also slowed down the approval. Only in September is The European Parliament formally expected to back the changes.

Visa-free regimes are a crucial tool for the Bloc towards binding neighbors closer and advancing reforms in neighbor countries. Further delays may deplete the pro-western forces in countries like Georgia and Ukraine, who struggle with their hostile neighbor, Russia.

Myola Tochytskyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, stated that he hopes the EU governments and the parliament will formally approve Kiev’s visa bid by early autumn, at the latest. Further delays and linking Ukraine with other countries will impair EU’s credibility, added Myola Tochytskyi.

Kosovo’s and Georgia’s officials have also reacted with concern towards the delay.

“Brussels literally has no more reasons to delay,” Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaçi told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. “Kosovo should not be held hostage to any disagreements between—in this case Brussels and Ankara. We have done our homework,” he said.

The proposal for the visa waiver came as a result of the positive assessment of implementation of Visa Liberalization Action Plan submitted by the European Commission.

Source: http://schengen-visa-india.tumblr.com/post/145748511113/schengen-visa