LOC17:20
14:20 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (KUNA) -- The European Commission Wednesday adopted two reports concluding that Colombia and Peru fulfil the relevant criteria, to being negotiation of visa waiver agreements between each of these countries and the EU.
"The significant improvements accomplished by Colombia and Peru in many areas in recent years mean that it is no longer justified to maintain a visa obligation on citizens of these countries visiting the Schengen area for short stays," said Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs, in press statements.
Once the reports have been discussed in the appropriate committees and groups of the European Parliament and the EU Council of ministers, the Commission will seek authorisation from the Council to negotiate short-stay visa waiver agreements with each of the two countries.
If the Council grants such an authorisation, negotiations could start in the beginning of 2015. Only after the agreements enter into force will visa-free for the citizens of these countries become a reality. This could happen, at the very earliest, in the second half of 2015, said the EU's executive body.
The Commission also adopted today its second progress report on the implementation by Georgia of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan.
It concluded that Georgia meets the first-phase requirements of the visa dialogue. The second phase, where the Commission will be checking the implementation of all these benchmarks, can therefore be launched, said the EU's executive body.
Since the last Commission report issued in November 2013, Georgia has adopted laws in the fields of security, asylum, anti-corruption and money-laundering, as well as other measures in order to address the identified gaps, it added.
26 European countries are members of the visa-free travel Schengen zone. (end)
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