EU visa policy: Commission welcomes Council’s green light to negotiate simplified visa procedures with Cabo Verde

Today, the Council gave the green light to the Commission to renegotiate a facilitation of the procedures under the existing agreement for the issuance of short-stay visas to citizens of Cabo Verde. In 2014, Cabo Verde became the first African country to conclude a visa facilitation agreement, in parallel with a readmission agreement, with the European Union. The suggested amendments to the existing visa facilitation agreement include: decreasing the visa fee, extending the possibility to obtain a multiple-entry visa with a long period of validity, and simplifying the list of supporting documents to be submitted along with the visa application. This initiative is part of a wider Mobility Partnership between the EU and Cabo Verde in place since 2008, and reflects the parties’ strengthened cooperation on border management and commitment to tackling irregular migration and trafficking in human beings. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Today marks a key step in our partnership with Cabo Verde. We will strengthen the ties and exchanges between our people, our societies and our economies.” The negotiations with Cabo Verde can now begin and once an agreement is reached, both the EU and Cabo Verde will need to endorse it through their respective internal procedures before it can enter into force.