Belarus And The EU Will Ratify €35 Visa Agreements Spring 2020
Belarusfeed
30 March 2020, 15:52
Belarus and the EU will ratify the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission at the opening of the spring session this April.
The news was made public by Andrey Savinykh, the chairman of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus.
“Given all the procedural aspects, we believe that these agreements will be ratified as a matter of priority on 2 April 2, or 3 April, tops,” the official noted.
“In this regard, I would like to express hope and even confidence that when the epidemic goes into decline and people return to normal life, start traveling, go on business trips, we will already use this agreement and the visa fees will be lower.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Shestakov stressed that the agreement on visa facilitation would in no way contribute to the brain drain and make young people leave tje country to work in the EU.
Recall that on 8 January, Belarus and the EU Union signed the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission. The agreements envisage the mutual simplification of visa procedures, including the reduction of visa fees to €35.
The decreased visa fee for Belarusians will be presumably available in June. Before that the agreements should be ratified by the National Assembly of Belarus and approved by the European Parliament.
On 2 February the revised EU visa code increased the visa fee to €80 worldwide, including in Belarus. Some embassies, considering it unfair, introduced relaxations for Belarusian children and youth during the “transition” period.
30 March 2020, 15:52
The news was made public by Andrey Savinykh, the chairman of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus.
“Given all the procedural aspects, we believe that these agreements will be ratified as a matter of priority on 2 April 2, or 3 April, tops,” the official noted.
“In this regard, I would like to express hope and even confidence that when the epidemic goes into decline and people return to normal life, start traveling, go on business trips, we will already use this agreement and the visa fees will be lower.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Shestakov stressed that the agreement on visa facilitation would in no way contribute to the brain drain and make young people leave tje country to work in the EU.
Recall that on 8 January, Belarus and the EU Union signed the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission. The agreements envisage the mutual simplification of visa procedures, including the reduction of visa fees to €35.
The decreased visa fee for Belarusians will be presumably available in June. Before that the agreements should be ratified by the National Assembly of Belarus and approved by the European Parliament.
On 2 February the revised EU visa code increased the visa fee to €80 worldwide, including in Belarus. Some embassies, considering it unfair, introduced relaxations for Belarusian children and youth during the “transition” period.
