The European Commission proposes partial suspension of visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu, allowing citizens of Vanuatu to travel to the EU without a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-period. The proposal follows extensive exchanges with the authorities of Vanuatu, including prior warnings of the possibility of suspension.
Vanuatu’s investor citizenship schemes present heightened risks for the security of the EU and its Member States and is therefore proposing a partial and proportionate suspension of the visa waiver agreement. The suspension would be applicable to all holders of ordinary passports issued as of 25 May 2015, when Vanuatu started issuing a substantial number of passports in exchange for investment. These holders would therefore no longer be allowed to travel to the EU without a visa (but would retain the possibility to apply for a visa to visit the EU).
What happens next?
It is now for the Council to examine this proposal and decide whether to partially suspend the visa waiver agreement. The European Parliament must be kept informed. If the Council decides to partially suspend the agreement, Vanuatu should be notified at least two months before the suspension is applied.
Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment program has serious failures such as
- The granting of citizenship to applicants listed in Interpol’s databases, which raises concerns about the reliability of the security screening;
- An average application processing time too short to allow for thorough screening; as well as no systematic exchange of information with the applicants’ country of origin or main past residence before citizenship is granted;
- A very low rejection rate: up until 2020, only one application was rejected;
- The countries of origin of successful applicants including countries that are visa-required for the EU, with some that are typically excluded from other citizenship schemes.
Q&A
What is the purpose of the EU-Vanuatu visa waiver agreement?
A visa waiver agreement between the EU and Vanuatu applies since 2015 and allows citizens of Vanuatu to travel to the EU without a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-period.
Why is the Commission proposing the partial suspension of the visa waiver agreement?
The Commission is proposing today a partial suspension of the visa waiver agreement, in order to mitigate the security risks raised by Vanuatu’s investor citizenship (“golden passports”) schemes. These risks include infiltration of organised crime, money laundering, tax evasion and corruption associated with such schemes. In addition, investor citizenship schemes that Vanuatu has operated since 2015 are commercially promoted with the expressed purpose of granting visa-free access to the EU.
What are the Commission’s concerns regarding investor citizenship schemes in non-EU countries with visa-free travel to the EU?
The Commission is concerned about the risks that investor citizenship schemes operated by non-EU countries may pose to the security of the EU and of its Member States. In January 2019, the Commission published a report on investor citizenship and residence schemes, which highlighted the inherent risks of such schemes, in particular as regards security, money laundering, and tax evasion. While the European Union respects the right of sovereign countries to decide on their own naturalisation procedures, such schemes can have an impact on the EU visa-free regime, as they can be used to bypass the EU short-stay visa procedure and the in-depth assessment of individual irregular migratory and security risks it entails.
How long would the partial suspension remain in force?
If adopted by the Council, the partial suspension of the visa waiver agreement will remain in force until the risks for the EU and its Member States are eliminated or substantially mitigated. Once the EU considers that the reasons for suspension cease to exist, the partial suspension should be lifted. If the reasons for the suspension persist, the possibility exists under EU law for a permanent transfer to the EU’s list of visa-required countries (Annex I of the Visa Regulation).
Is the Commission planning to take action in relation to other non-EU countries with visa-free travel to the EU operating investor citizenship schemes?
All EU visa waiver agreements can be suspended on grounds of security or public policy concerns. Investor citizenship schemes in countries with visa-free access to the EU may have an impact on the visa-free regime, as they raise security risks. The Commission continues to follow the issue closely in order to assess any possible security risks related to such schemes.
Read more in the official website here
