On behalf of the Council of the European Union, EU ambassadors endorsed a mandate for negotiations on a proposal amending the visa code on June, 19.
On the basis of this mandate, the Council Presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament once the latter has adopted its position. The exact date is not reported.
As reported in March, the European Commission proposed to reform the EU’s common visa policy to adapt the rules to evolving security concerns, challenges linked to migration and new opportunities offered by technological developments.
The initiative is expected to provide faster and more clear procedures for legitimate travellers, notably by:
To facilitate short-term tourism, member states will be allowed to issue single-entry visas directly at external land and sea borders under temporary, seasonal schemes subject to strict conditions. Such visas will be valid for a stay of a maximum of 7 days in the issuing member state only.
In view of significantly increased processing costs over the past years, an increase of the Schengen visa fee from €60 to €80 will be introduced. It has not increased since 2006.
If a country has an agreements on simplification of visa regime with the EU (for example, Russia), the visa fee will grow from €30 to €40. Belarus is also seeking to simplify the visa regime, but it is still under discussion.