New Rules for EU Visa-Free Travel: Focus on Human Rights Violations
EU Ponders Removing Visa-Free Access for Israeli Travelers
The European Union (EU) is shaking up the way it handles visa-free short stays, and Israel could be among the first nations to feel the impact. The impetus? Serious human rights breaches in the Gaza conflict that Israel is facing charges for by international bodies such as the United Nations (UN).
Clamping Down on International Wrongdoings
Up till now, the EU had limited authority to suspend visa-free entry, solely in situations such as security concerns or a surge in irregular immigration. However, the newly agreed-upon reform sees a broadening of the factors taken into account. In the future, violations of the UN Charter, egregious human rights abuses, disregard for international law, and willful disregard for international court rulings are also grounds for suspension.
Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec, the architect behind the legislation, explained to Euronews, "This tool helps us to uphold the principles that form our community and allows us to enforce human rights and respect for international law." While he emphasized that no specific country was being singled out, sources close to the matter told Euronews that Israeli citizens may soon need visas to enter the EU due to the aforementioned human rights violations in Gaza. Serbia, too, has drawn attention due to persistent human rights issues. Both countries presently enjoy visa-free access to the Schengen area, offering stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
Enhanced Scrutiny and Swift Actions
The revised rules will enable the EU Commission to more readily apply for suspensions, a move that only requires approval from the member states. Such an initiative can be blocked only by a majority vote, with an extension of the travel ban beyond one year necessitating additional parliament or council approval. Both the EU parliament and the member states can submit requests for reevaluations of the relevant conditions. Given the circumstances surrounding Israel, it's likely that an EU member state will soon take action.
In the past, citizens from 61 countries, including Australia, Japan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Israel, have enjoyed visa-free access to the EU. This privilege has been suspended once, against Vanuatu, whose citizenship-for-sale program was suspected of circumventing EU entry restrictions.
Side Notes:
- The expanded criteria for visa-free travel suspensions also consider substantial increases in issues like refused entries, overstays, asylum applications, or serious criminal offenses, and a low asylum recognition rate.[4] Moreover, the revised rules permit targeted restrictions against specific government officials or decision-makers responsible for violations, thereby safeguarding ordinary citizens from disproportionate measures.[4]
- Currently, no specific countries are publicly listed as being under observation for potential visa-free suspension due to human rights violations in the available sources. However, the EU's revised suspension rules are intended to address these situations quickly and effectively through monitoring and dialogue with the concerned countries.[1][2][4][5]
In essence, while no particular countries are explicitly targeted at present, the EU's upgraded visa suspension criteria are designed to tackle countries displaying significant human rights violations or breaches of international obligations, enabling the EU to suspend visa-free travel either selectively or broadly, depending on the specific circumstances.[4][5]
The European Union (EU) is expanding its grounds for suspending visa-free entry, now including violations of the UN Charter, severe human rights abuses, disregard for international law, and ignoring international court rulings. Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec, architect of the legislation, stated it "helps us to uphold the principles that form our community and allows us to enforce human rights and respect for international law." Given Israel's human rights violations in Gaza, it's likely an EU member state will soon take action regarding Israeli citizens needing visas to enter the EU.
