The decision will now be published in the Official Journal and will enter into force on the second day following that of its publication. Under the Visa Facilitation Agreement, the decision to suspend the other Contracting Party must be notified at least 48 hours before its entry into force. Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for promoting our European way of life, said: “Today is a concrete step that will bring Europeans and Belarusians closer together. The visa facilitation agreement will allow EU and Belarus citizens to travel more freely, and the readmission agreement will also contribute to the fight against irregular migration, which will benefit both Belarus and the EU. » Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Belarus on visa facilitation However, Belarusian officials will no longer be able to derogate from document requirements or be encouraged to incur a reduced fee for applying for visas. Following political upheavals in Belarus and restrictive EU measures, Belarus began organising domestic flights and trips in June 2021 to facilitate the transit of migrants to the EU, first to Lithuania and then to Latvia and Poland. Belarus also announced on 28 June 2021 that it would suspend the readmission agreement with the EU. The European Council partially suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Belarus due to the “hybrid attack” that Minsk launched against the European Union by promoting a migrant crisis along the Polish-Belarusian border. The ongoing crackdown on the Belarusian people, the regime`s unilateral decision to suspend the readmission to Belarus of people without the right to reside in the EU and the orchestration of irregular migration to the EU are seriously undermining these agreements. The EU and Belarus signed the visa facilitation and readmission agreements on 8 January 2020. On the Belarusian side, a ratification procedure then took place, with both agreements adopted by the House of Representatives on 2 April 2020 and approved by the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus. On the EU side, the European Parliament adopted a decision on 13 september.
May 2020 agreed to the conclusion of the agreements and the Council formally completed their ratification on 27 May 2020. According to the proposal for partial suspension, the requirements for further written evidence of the purpose of travel and the visa processing fee apply These measures violate the basic principles on the basis of which the visa facilitation agreement was concluded and run counter to the interests of the EU. The agreement to facilitate the obtaining of short-term visas for Belarusian citizens to enter the European Union, with visa fees generally reduced to €35 and waived for certain categories of travellers. In addition, service fees are now limited and the time for consulates to decide on a visa application is shortened. Several categories of travelers, including journalists, students and members of official delegations, can obtain multiple-entry visas with an increasingly long validity (up to 5 years), while they have less supporting documents to prove their purpose of travel. Belarus has already unilaterally introduced measures to facilitate visa-free travel for EU citizens arriving in Minsk in the short term. The EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement entered into force on 1 July 2020 in parallel with the EU-Belarus Readmission Agreement. The aim of the agreement is to facilitate the issuance of short-stay visas, thus contributing to the improvement of people-to-people contacts and the exchange of democratic values and principles.
The suspension includes provisions that waive the requirement to provide documentary evidence, regulate the issuance of multiple-entry visas and reduce visa application fees as they apply to officials of the Belarusian regime. This decision does not affect ordinary citizens of Belarus, who will continue to enjoy the same benefits under the visa facilitation agreement as they currently do. Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said: “These agreements will improve mobility in a well-managed and safe environment. Once the travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus are eased, it will become easier for Belarusian citizens to come to the EU. This means closer ties and exchanges between our peoples and societies. In the agreements, the parties recognize the importance of the obligations and responsibilities, including respect for human rights and democratic principles, arising from the relevant international instruments applicable to them. Today, the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between the EU and Belarus enter into force. These agreements represent an important step towards strengthening the EU`s engagement with the Belarusian people and civil society. They will pave the way for better mobility of citizens, facilitate travel from Belarus to the EU and help establish closer relations in relations between Belarus and the EU. Once adopted by the Council, the partial suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement will apply to certain provisions of the Agreement.
As a result, the requirements for further written evidence of the purpose of the trip would not be waived and the visa application processing fee would not be reduced. The measures concern only members of official Belarusian delegations and members of Belarusian national and regional governments and parliaments, the Belarusian Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Belarus in the exercise of their functions. The suspension of parts of the agreement will not affect ordinary citizens, the European Council said in announcing the decision on 9 November. The EU-Belarus visa facilitation and readmission agreements entered into force in July 2020. The Agreement on Visa Facilitation concerns the reciprocal issuance of visas to citizens of the Union and Belarus for a planned stay of up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. The readmission agreement establishes procedures for the safe and orderly return of persons residing irregularly in the EU or Belarus, in full respect of their rights under international law, in particular the principle of non-refoulement. In addition to Belarus, the EU has concluded visa facilitation agreements with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Formal readmission agreements or practical return and readmission arrangements exist with 24 countries, including Belarus. The European Commission has proposed to partially suspend the EU Visa Facilitation Agreement with the Republic of Belarus, which provides for the reciprocal issuance of visas to EU and Belarusian citizens for a maximum stay of 90 days for certain categories of officials associated with the regime. The agreement to facilitate the obtaining of short-term visas for Belarusian citizens for the European Union, by reducing visa fees to EUR 35 and solving them for certain categories of travellers.
The Commission is today proposing to suspend certain articles of the EU Visa Facilitation Agreement with the Republic of Belarus. The move follows attempts by the Belarusian regime to destabilise the EU and its member states by facilitating irregular migration for political purposes, as well as its decision of 28 September. June 2021 to suspend the EU-Belarus readmission agreement. The proposal is addressed to certain categories of officials associated with the regime and does not concern ordinary citizens of Belarus, who will continue to enjoy the same benefits as at present under the visa facilitation agreement. .