The European Union (EU) on Tuesday took a step closer to ratifying a visa waiver which would exempt Colombian citizens from requiring a visa for short-term stays.
The EU included Colombia in a list of countries that will be not require a visa for short term stays in the near future, the BBC reported.
According to the BBC, the measure was taken up for discussion by the European Council of Finance Ministers, but will only be finalized after bilateral agreements have taken place.
Referring to Colombia and Peru, the two Latin American countries up for discussion, the European Commission said that it must, “assess the situation of the two countries in accordance with the criteria set out,” before starting negotiations.
Some areas of concern laid out by the European Commission are the risk of illegal immigration, as well as the impact on safety, tourism and economic benefits that the proposed visa waiver would have.
The European Parliament approved the measure in February, which would allow Colombian citizens to stay in the EU without a visa for a period up to three months.
According to radio network RCN, the EC will conduct a risk analysis on the areas of concern, before beginning negotiations on waiver agreements.
Sources
- Peruanos y colombianos más cerca de viajar sin visa a la UE (BBC)
- Unión Europea aprobó reglamento de eliminación de visa para colombianos (RCN Radio)
