New rules passed by European Parliament on Dec. 15 say that visa requirements for non-EU nationals will be reintroduced faster when EU countries face irregular migration surges or security risks.
EP rapporteur for the proposal, Agustin Diaz de Mera (EPP, ES), said: “We have succeeded in creating a more flexible and operational tool, while ensuring respect for human rights and a key role for the European Parliament. I am confident that following the approval of the suspension mechanism, the Council will cooperate fully to ensure that the proposals to grant visa waivers to Georgia and Ukraine are processed smoothly, given that both countries fulfilled the requested criteria some time ago,” according to the European Parliament’s press release.
