The European Parliament has approved a reform allowing the EU to reintroduce visa requirements for certain countries in cases of security issues or human rights violations.
The visa suspension mechanism applies to 61 countries whose citizens can currently travel visa-free to the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
The European Commission already has the power to reintroduce visa requirements for a country on its own initiative or at the request of a Member State when there are internal security threats or significant increases in rejected asylum applications.
So far, this measure has only been used once, for Vanuatu, due to its “golden passport” scheme. The reform includes new grounds such as hybrid threats (e.g., the use of migrants for political purposes), violations of the United Nations Charter, international human rights or humanitarian law, and non-compliance with international court decisions.
The legislation also gives the EU more flexibility to suspend visa exemptions for officials from third countries found responsible for human rights violations or other abuses by their governments.
On Tuesday, 518 MEPs voted in favour of the reform, 96 opposed it, and 24 abstained. The law, which still needs formal approval from EU Member States, will take effect 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal.
