European Council approves European Commission`s proposal for negotiations on visa liberalization with Armenia

ArmInfo.The European Council approved the European Commission's proposal to begin negotiations on  visa liberalization with Armenia. This was reported by the Armenian service of Radio Liberty with reference to diplomatic sources.

"After approval from the 27 member states, the issue will be referred  to the European Commission, which will announce exactly when  negotiations will begin and what course of action it will propose to  Yerevan," explains European Affairs editor Rikard Jozwiak.

It further notes that this means that annual progress reports will be  provided and will continue for several years. In the case of some  countries, for example, Moldova, it took from 3 to 4 years, Georgia -  5, Ukraine - 9. Negotiations with Turkey have been ongoing for more  than 10 years, so each country goes through this path in its own way.  This is the beginning of a process that will take time to complete.

The source notes that the decision adopted today on Armenia states  that the visa requirement will be canceled only if all the necessary  criteria are fully met.

As a rule, according to Jozwiak, Brussels takes about six months to  draw up and present the necessary action plan, but since the new  European Commission has not yet been formed after the elections to  the European Parliament in June, in the case of Armenia this list of  demands is expected to be presented either in end of this year or  early next year. After their full implementation, Armenia will have  to overcome another important obstacle.

"Two institutions have the right to make the final decision on this  issue. One is the Council of Europe, where Armenia has the necessary  support, and the second is the member countries. All 27 must give  their consent together, which is not always easy, because now Europe  has begun movement against illegal immigration," explains RFE/RL's  European Affairs Editor.

According to him, there is also a mechanism for stopping  liberalization, which, for example, is now being discussed in the  case of Georgia.

"I mean, you can gain this privilege after a long period of work, but  you can lose it, and it can be very quickly. There are a lot of  obstacles," he said.

An agreement on simplification of visa issuance procedures was signed  in December 2012, and a Readmission Agreement between Armenia and the  European Union was signed in April 2013. Both agreements entered into  force simultaneously on January 1, 2015. The UK, Ireland and Denmark  are not part of the agreement. In accordance with the agreement on  visa facilitation, citizens of Armenia enjoy simplified procedures  for obtaining entry visas to the Schengen area. This is meant for a  number of categories of Armenian citizens, in particular, members of  official delegations, scientists, students, journalists, sports and  cultural figures, close relatives of those legally residing in EU  countries, participants in events organized by the Armenian diaspora  structures operating in the EU, and others. Tariffs for an entry visa  to the Schengen zone were lowered from 60 euros to 35 euros. In  addition, this visa is provided free of charge to a number of  categories of citizens, including children and pensioners. In  addition, this agreement allows Armenian citizens to visit EU  countries on short-term visas for a period of 180 days instead of the  previous 90. In accordance with the agreement on visa facilitation,  Armenian citizens enjoy simplified procedures for obtaining entry  visas to the Schengen area.

Despite the fact that Armenia has fully complied with the first stage  of the agreement, the EU, for various reasons, is delaying the launch  of the second stage, at the start of the dialogue on visa  liberalization