Talks with delegation of Directorate General for Migration and Home  Affairs of European Commission.at Armenia`s MFA

ArmInfo. Head of the Europe Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Samvel Mkrtchyan received a delegation of the Directorate General for  Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of  Armenia, the visit of the delegation was the first since the start of  the visa liberalization dialogue between Armenia and the EU and was  aimed at conducting a technical needs assessment.

During the meeting, a number of issues of the comprehensive and  ambitious agenda of the Armenia-EU partnership, further steps within  the framework of the visa liberalization dialogue, legal procedures  and other similar topics were discussed in detail.

The delegation of the Directorate General for Migration and Home  Affairs of the European Commission also met with representatives of a  number of competent agencies of the Republic of Armenia during its  visit to Armenia.

On July 17, 2024, the European Council approved the proposal of the  European Commission to start a dialogue on visa liberalization with  Armenia. Experts find it difficult to say how long these negotiations  will last.

The European Commission stated on July 22 that the launch of the  dialogue will support Armenia in achieving its long-term goal of  achieving visa-free travel with the EU. "The dialogue will lead to  reforms in important areas, including travel document security,  border control, migration and asylum, public order, external  relations and fundamental rights in Armenia. The Commission will  closely monitor progress in these areas, in close cooperation with  the European Parliament and the Council. The dialogue will take place  within the framework of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP),  which will be presented to the Armenian authorities following  discussions in the Council. Visa liberalization is not an automatic  process and will only be considered if the dialogue is successful and  all the conditions set out in the VLAP are met," the European  Commission noted, noting that if it is successful, it will become  easier and cheaper for Armenian citizens to travel to Europe for  short periods (less than 90 days in any 180-day period).

The Visa Facilitation Agreement was signed in December 2012, and the  Readmission Agreement between Armenia and the European Union - in  April 2013. Both agreements entered into force simultaneously on  January 1, 2015. The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark are not part  of the agreement. In accordance with the Visa Facilitation Agreement,  citizens of Armenia enjoy simplified procedures for obtaining entry  visas to the Schengen area. This applies to 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 Armenian diaspora structures operating in the EU,  and others. The fee for an entry visa to the Schengen area was  lowered from 60 euros to 35 euros. Along with this, this visa is  provided free of charge to a number of categories of citizens,  including children and pensioners. In addition, this agreement allows  citizens of Armenia to visit EU countries on short-term visas for 180  days instead of the previous 90. In accordance with the visa  facilitation agreement, citizens of Armenia enjoy simplified  procedures for obtaining entry visas to the Schengen area.

Despite the fact that Armenia has fully implemented the first stage  of the agreement, the EU, for various reasons, is delaying the launch  of the second stage, the beginning of the dialogue on visa  liberalization.