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. 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. 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. Belarus shall be informed of the conclusions of these agreements, which shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following notification. This should be on July 1, 2020. 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.
This article provides an analysis of the objective, content and policy implications of the EU visa facilitation and readmission agreements. These agreements have become increasingly important in EU foreign policy, as the EU has begun to view visa facilitation agreements not only as a necessary incentive to sign a readmission agreement, but also as a means of mitigating the negative side effects of eastward enlargement. By offering relaxed travel conditions in exchange for the approval of an EC readmission agreement and reforms in the areas of justice and home affairs, the EU has found a new way to put pressure on reforms in neighbouring countries while encountering a major source of discontent in these countries. The analysis takes into account the wider impact of these agreements, arguing that while facilitated travel options are beneficial for citizens of destination countries, positive achievements will be undermined by the Schengen enlargement, which forces new Member States to tighten their borders with their neighbours. 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 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 gave its consent to the conclusion of the agreements on 13 May 2020 and the Council officially completed their ratification on 27 May 2020. The Council today adopted two decisions on the conclusion of a visa facilitation agreement and a readmission agreement with Belarus.
The visa facilitation agreement will make it easier and cheaper for Belarusian citizens travelling to the Schengen area and EU citizens travelling to Belarus to obtain a visa. The agreement simplifies the documents to be submitted by certain categories of citizens, as well as the issuance of multiple-entry visas for certain categories of frequent travellers. It also reduces the overhead costs for processing visa applications to 35 euros. Holders of diplomatic passports are exempt from the visa requirement. This Agreement applies to short-term travel, defined as a stay of up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. Visa statistics show the growing importance of eu-Belarus relations. In 2019, the number of Schengen visa applications in Belarus reached almost 650,000. The conclusion of an agreement to facilitate the issuance of visas is an important step in relations between our citizens and will help to strengthen our economic, cultural and scientific relations. .