Visa Facilitation For WBC On The Way


By Ms. Elke DALL on Jun 01, 2007
Status: Public

With the signing of visa facilitation agreements in April 2007, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR of Macedonia and Montenegro are now one step nearer to the European Union.

These agreements allow citizens of the Western Balkan countries such as students or businessmen to have easier access to entry visas for the EU through decrease of costs, shortening of the application period and the possibility for longer-period visas. These countries also signed re-admission agreements, which allow the EU to send back illegally residing persons from those countries.

The agreements are expected to enter into force in January 2008.
The visa facilitation should encourage the Western Balkan countries to tackle problems which are still pending in areas such as rule of law, the fight against organised crime and corruption, and the strengthening of the administrative capacity in border control and security of documents.
A Brief on Visa Facilitation process in the Western Balkans has been published by Analytica, a non-profit policy analysis institution dedicated to fostering lasting improvement in the democracy and governance of FYR of Macedonia and elsewhere in the region of South East Europe. The 7-page report is available via the see-science.eu website and is recommended as an illustration of the present visa regime and its implication as well as the steps to be taken next.

Article published in see-science.eu eJournal spring 07.

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