A reform of the mechanism to suspend short-stay visa-free travel into the EU, agreed today between Parliament and Council negotiating teams, will allow the EU to respond more flexibly when countries backslide on important principles of their visa waiver agreement, which can include security concerns and human rights violations.

New grounds for suspension

In future, violations of the United Nations Charter, severe breaches of international human rights or humanitarian law, and not complying with international court decisions will be valid grounds for suspending visa-freedom. This helps align the grounds for suspension with the grounds for granting the visa waiver in the first place, and can create a deterrent effect.

With the new law, additional grounds for suspending the visa waiver will include hybrid threats, such as state-sponsored instrumentalisation of migrants aimed at destabilising or undermining society; and investor citizenship schemes (“golden passports”), which raise…