MEPs are set to back a revised EU visa suspension mechanism, allowing a swifter end to visa-free travel from countries posing security risks or breaching human rights.
The debate will take place on Monday, followed by a vote on Tuesday.
The mechanism concerns the 61 countries (see list in Annex II here) whose nationals can currently travel to the Schengen area without a visa for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period). It allows the European Commission to reintroduce visa requirements - first temporarily, then potentially permanently, in cases of security risks or large increases in irregular arrivals.
The reform, provisionally agreed with the Council in June, adds new grounds for triggering a suspension, namely: hybrid threats (such as state-sponsored instrumentalisation of migrants); investor citizenship schemes (or "golden passports") raising security concerns; a lack of alignment with EU visa policy; violations of the United Nations Charter; severe breaches of international human rights or humanitarian law; and not complying with international court decisions.
