(02 April 2014) – In order to stimulate the European economy and to facilitate the lives of travelers towards the EU, the European Commission is proposing today changes in the visa rules.
Many non-EU nationals wishing to travel to the EU are often faced with cumbersome, lengthy and costly visa procedures. According to the Commission, the proposals presented today will seriously shorten and simplify the procedures for those wanting to come to the EU for short stays.
A recent study shows that in 2012 a total number of 6.6 million potential travellers from six of the countries with the most travelers were ‘lost’ due to cumbersome visa procedures.
Concretely, the Commission now proposes:
- Establishing a clearer set of procedural rules and speeding up the process.
- Boosting consular cooperation.
- Introducing mandatory criteria for obtaining a multiple entry visa (MEV).
- Establishing a Touring Visa. This would for instance, apply to live-performing artists who tour the Schengen area for a prolonged period, but also to individual travellers, such as tourists, researchers and students who wish to spend more time in Europe./li>