The EU Commission is launching visa liberalisation talks with Aremnia following an acknowledgement made by the Foreign Affairs Council.
The visa liberalisation talks will offer great support to Armenia’s long-term goal of achieving visa-free travel with the EU and will help in further strengthening people-to-people ties, Schengen.News reports.
As the Commission explains, the dialogue will be focused on various areas and, at the same time, will lead reforms, particularly in the security of travel documents, migration and asylum, border management, and fundamental rights in Armenia, among others.
The visa liberalisation dialogue between the EU and Armenia will be conducted under the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), which will soon be presented to the authorities of the country.
Visa liberalisation is not an automatic process. It will be considered only once the dialogue is successfully completed and all the conditions listed in the VLAP are met.
The launch of these talks follows numerous initiatives taken to strengthen cooperation with Armenia. However, the country needs to make sure to meet several requirements before its citizens get to travel visa-free to the bloc.
Armenia Needs to Fulfill All Benchmarks to Have Visa Obligations Lifted, Council Stressed
Commenting on the launch of the visa liberalisation talks with Armenia by the Commission, the Council of the EU welcomed the move.
However, the authority stressed that the lifting of the visa requirements for Armenia will be considered only when the country completes the fulfilment of all the benchmarks set out by the EU.
The possibility of lifting the visa obligations for Armenian citizens will only be considered upon the complete fulfilment of the benchmarks.
What Will Change for Nationals of Armenia When Dialogue Is Successfully Completed?
Once the visa liberalisation dialogue between the EU and Armenia is successfully completed, Armenian citizens will no longer have to obtain a Schengen visa to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area.
They will be eligible for visa-free stays of up to 90 days in any 190-day period. As for Armenians who want to stay in the EU longer than this period, they will need to apply for a long-term Schengen visa.
Until visa requirements are lifted for Armenians, they will continue to be required to obtain Schengen visas.
Citizens of Armenia already enjoy benefits as some visa facilitations apply to them. Differently from nationals of other countries who need Schengen visas, Armenians are required to pay a €35 Schengen visa fee instead of the current €90 fee.
