MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) — Colombia and Peru have met the requirements for visa-free access to the Schengen area, the European Commission's website stated Wednesday.
"The significant improvements, accomplished by Colombia and Peru in many areas in recent years, mean that it is no longer justified to maintain a visa obligation on citizens of these countries, visiting the Schengen area for short stays," European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said in the statement.
"By abolishing the visa obligation we will be fostering mobility and people-to-people contacts – something that is fundamental to reinforce the social and economic development and mutual understanding between the EU and other countries," she said.
Now that the conditions for visa-free movement to Europe's Schengen area have been met, negotiations on waiving visas for Colombian and Peruvian citizens are expected to be commenced in the near future.
Trust in visa applicants from both countries, low rate of visa denials, low levels of irregular migrations, sufficiency of travel documents, as well as the decrease in security threats, have played a significant role in the positive conclusions, rendered by the European Commission.
In a separate statement, issued on Wednesday, the European Commission praised the progress that Georgia has made towards the liberalization of the visa regime with the union.
According to the statement, Georgia has satisfied the first-phase criteria of the visa negotiations, leading the Commission to consider rolling out the second phase of the talks on the matter. According to the statement, Georgian citizens have been eligible for facilitated visa requirements since 2011, when a visa facilitation agreement was signed between Georgia and the EU.
