Why do we need to abolish visas?

European Liberal Youth is aware of the great problem that people from some European countries face when trying to visit the EU and other European countries. The visa release process is unnecessarily long, expensive, bureaucratic and upsetting for the people who need visas, and visa release is not guaranteed to all, as some can have their request denied for unclear reasons and/or have their visa delivered too late. Visa regimes negatively affect the development of tourism on the European continent and are an obstacle to the birth of a European civil society. Restrictions to free travel are used by dictatorships to prevent the spread of democracy, as epitomized nowadays in Belarus.

We believe in the free movement of people, and as European Liberal Youth we ask for complete abolishment of tourist and student visas for European citizens traveling from an EU country to another European country and reverse, and complete abolishment of the same between non-EU European countries The countries affected

> Schengen visa regime

Schengen visa regime is the core of the visa regime in Europe. It was created in 1990 and was based on the previous agreement dating from 1985 between the countries of Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Germany and France. Apart from the EU states, some other countries are granted benefits of this agreement by means of special agreements signed with the Schengen member states. The countries included in this agreement are: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein. This is not a classical non-visa regime which exists between some countries (e.g. between the Federal Republic of Serbia and Montenegro and Romania) but rather an agreement between competent ministries (interior and foreign among other) whose aim is to prevent the spreading of crime and the protection of countries included in the Schengen agreement.

It represented the beginning of the transformation of Europe from an economic integration into a region without tight state borders and with single economic, monetary and security systems. The Council of EU adopted on March 15, 2001 the list of countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when entering Schengen states (Annex I) and the list of those which are (or will be) exempt by means of special agreements (Annex II). The European countries included in Annex I are: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldavia, Russia and Ukraine.

Particular problems connected with visa regimes

A specific question that reflects the absurdity of current visa barriers covering the region involves Bosnia-Herzegovina and the discriminatory treatment of one part of its population by Europe. Generally speaking, the Schengen states and the majority of other European countries have visa regimes towards Bosnia-Herzegovina, but the Croatian citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, being entitled to a dual citizenship and a Croatian passport are exempted from these restrictive measures. In that way, the Serbian and Bosnian citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina are being discriminated against solely because of their nationality, which is against all conventions and principles the united Europe declaratively pleads for. The example of Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of the strongest arguments in the appeals for the general abolishment of visas within and towards southeast European countries. A particular problem, not connected with typical visa regimes, is the treatment of the citizens of Kosovo who are denied the entry into some of the countries that do not recognize the passports issued by UNMIK.

Source : Citizens Initiative for South East Europe