The European Parliament and the European Council have taken the final formal step to transfer Moldova to the list of third countries whose nationals are exempt from visa requirement.
On Thursday, the European Parliament’s President Martin Schulz and the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas, on behalf of the European Council, signed the amendment of Regulation 539/2001, marking the final formal step in the procedure.
It is expected that the amendment will enter into force on 28 April, thereby abolishing visa requirements for Moldovan citizens holding a biometric passport to travel to the Schengen zone for a short-stay.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström said “the possibility of visa-free travel to the Schengen area for short stays will further facilitate people-to-people contacts and strengthen business, social and cultural ties between the European Union and Moldova.”
As a first step towards the long term goal of visa-free travel, Moldovan citizens already enjoyed the benefits of a Visa Facilitation Agreement with the EU in 2008.
Moldova had lifted the visa obligation on EU citizens in 2007.
The number of short-stay Schengen visa applications from Moldovan citizens has remained stable over the past four years, oscillating between 50,000 and 55,000. At the same time, the refusal rate for visa applications has sharply decreased from 11.4 percent in 2010 to 4.8 percent in 2013.
by RTT Staff Writer
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