European Commission Invites Belarus to Continue Negotiations
On July 23, the European Commission formally invited Belarus to participate in the 5th round of negotiations on the EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements. The goal of the Agreements is to facilitate the process of issuing EU short-stay visas to Belarusian citizens as well as reduce the cost. There are also hopes that the negotiations will lead to improvements in the process of repatriating Belarusian nationals without the proper documentation to stay in the EU.
This round of negotiations will be held in Brussels, Belgium, as the previous meeting was in Minsk, Belarus. The meeting has been proposed for September, 2018. In a press release from the EU, the Commission expressed its desire to complete the negotiations as soon as possible.
“The European Union is firmly committed to strengthening its engagement with the Belarusian people and civil society,” said Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos. “Visa facilitation in particular will enhance people-to-people contacts, which, beyond personal networks, would also enable businesses to develop stronger ties, benefitting our economies.”
The negotiations on Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements were formally launched in January 2014. The last meeting took place in Minsk in June 2017 and the EU said positive progress was made, particularly regard readmission procedures
By Samantha Guthrie