Belarus, EU may sign visa regime facilitation deal by year-end

BELTA image
BELTA image

The European Union and Belarus might have the agreement on the facilitation of the visa regime signed by the end of 2018, Head of the EU Delegation in Minsk Andrea Wiktorin told the press Tuesday, BELTA reports.

The agreement on readmission could also be signed by the year-end, she said. 

Minsk and Brussels have been in talks on these issues since January 2014.

Earlier this year, the European Union announced plans to raise the cost of Schengen visas from 60 up to 80 euors. However, EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Police and Emlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said during his visit to Minsk in June 2018 that the EU and the European Commission were not interested in making the visa more expensive. It would be more important to ensure that the issue of visa is expedited rather than make money on it, he noted back then.