EU Eyes Visa-Free Travel Changes

Charlie Visa Waiver Programs 16 April 2025 | Updated On April 21, 2025 | 0

The European Union (EU) is moving forward with plans to strengthen its visa suspension rules, which could make it easier to end visa-free travel for citizens of 61 countries. This move could impact several countries that want to join the EU, such as Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, as well as Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova.

The plan to expand the list of reasons for suspending visa-free access was first proposed by the European Commission in 2023. The Council of the EU, which represents all member states, agreed on its position last year. However, progress was delayed due to the European Parliament elections in June 2024 and a backlog of legislation.

Last week, the first round of negotiations took place between the European Commission, the EU Council, and the European Parliament. Their goal is to finalise the new rules by the end of June. If everything goes as planned, the new rules could take effect by early autumn.

The main reason behind this change is to better manage irregular migration. The EU is also concerned about situations where countries like Russia and Belarus have allegedly used migrants to put pressure on EU borders, especially in Lithuania and Poland.

According to Frontex, the EU's border agency, irregular border crossings dropped by 31% in early 2025. The biggest decrease was seen along the Western Balkans route, but irregular migration is still a key issue for EU officials.

Stricter Rules on Citizenship-by-Investment

The EU also wants to tighten the rules for countries that offer citizenship through so-called Golden Passport schemes. These programs allow wealthy foreigners to get citizenship by investing money in a country. In the future, visa-free access may be suspended for countries that run such programs.

Visa-free travel could also be suspended for countries involved in serious human rights abuses or that don’t follow international laws and court decisions. These rules are part of a new draft law.

However, any decision to suspend visa-free access must be approved by a qualified majority of EU member states.

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