Schengen Visa Procedures To Improve Via Open Consultation

The European Commission is currently reviewing the procedures for issuing short-stay Schengen visas and recently launched a broad public consultation on the Schengen visa application process.

The Commission is inviting direct contributions from individuals to hear their views on their experience in order to modernize the policy.

The legislation (Regulation No 810/2009 Visa Code) on issuing short-stay visas for travel in the Schengen area (the “Visa Code”) has now been in force for three years and the Commission wants to assess whether the legislation has achieved its objectives.

Building on this evaluation, the Commission plans to propose amendments to revise the Visa Code and to further develop and modernize the common visa policy.

Among the aims of this review are to ensure that EU visa policy fosters economic growth and cultural exchange by facilitating the process for legitimate travelers to the EU, such as business people, tourists, students and young people, while ensuring a high level of security for the EU.

For this reason, the Commission wants to hear from the main “users” of the common visa policy: individuals, interest groups, advocacy groups and professional organizations.

For further information and to take part in the public consultation, press here.