EU-Cape Verde agreement on facilitating the issuing of short-stay visas

Brussels, 29-10-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — The EU and Cape Verde signed on 26 October 2012 a visa facilitation agreement (14203/12) at a ceremony that took place in Cape Verde. On behalf of the EU, the agreement was signed by Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus in his capacity as President of the Council of the European Union, and by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. For Cape Verde, José Maria Pereira Neves Prime Minister of Cape Verde, signed the agreement.

The agreement will now be sent to the European Parliament with a view to obtaining its consent before it can be concluded. It will enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date on which the two parties notify each other that the internal procedures have been completed, but not before the entry into force of the EU-Cape Verde readmission agreement. This is expected to happen before summer 2013.

The UK, Ireland and Denmark are not bound by the agreement.

Main provisions
The agreement makes it easier and cheaper for citizens of Cape Verde, in particular those who travel most, to acquire short-stay visas allowing them to travel to and freely throughout the EU. A short-stay visa is a visa for an intended stay of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days.

For some categories of frequent travellers and under certain conditions, member states are supposed to issue multiple-entry visas with a validity from one to up to five years. Holders of diplomatic and service passports are exempted from the visa obligation.

The agreement also provides that the visa handling fee – which should not exceed €30 – will not be collected for certain categories of applicants, including members of official delegations, children below the age of twelve, researchers and students.

Following the mandate given by the Council on 4 June 2009, the European Commission started the negotiations of the visa facilitation agreement with Cape Verde. After concluding the negotiations the agreement was initialled on 24 April 2012.

Context
Visa facilitation agreements go usually hand-in-hand with readmission agreements between the EU and third countries. The readmission agreement with Cape Verde is expected to be signed in early 2013. Both, the visa facilitation and the readmission agreements will enter into force on the same day, most likely before summer 2013.

Readmission agreements set out clear obligations and procedures for the authorities of EU member states and the third countries concerned as to when and how to take back people who are illegally residing on the territories of the parties. They cover not only the illegally staying nationals of both parties but also third country nationals and stateless persons being in an irregular situation provided they have a clear link with the requested party (e.g. visa or resident permit). Full respect of Human Rights as provided by the European Convention
of Human Rights is guaranteed during the application of readmission agreements.

So far, the EU has signed visa facilitation and readmission agreements with nine countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Georgia. Negotiations are ongoing with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

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