TBILISI, November 17 – The European Union has approved a major overhaul of its visa-free suspension rules, giving Brussels new powers to halt visa-free travel for citizens of third countries more quickly and for longer periods when EU interests are at risk.
The European Council announced Monday that member states had given their final political green light to the updated mechanism, which governs how and when the EU can freeze visa-free entry for non-EU nationals. The reform applies to every country whose citizens currently enjoy short-term visa-free access to the Schengen Area.
According to the Council, the new rules will allow the EU to take action “more rapidly and decisively” when visa-free travel is being abused or when relations with a partner country deteriorate. The text states that visa-free status may be suspended if a country drifts out of alignment with EU visa policy or if concerns emerge over issues such as human rights.
The changes extend the initial suspension period from nine months to up to twelve months. After that, the EU will be able to prolong the freeze for an additional twenty-four months. This marks the longest possible suspension period the bloc has ever permitted.
A key difference in the revised rules is that the rather than targeting an entire population, the EU may target the additional two-year measures at specific groups, including government officials or diplomats. The Council says this makes the mechanism more “purpose-driven,” reducing the need for broad restrictions on ordinary travelers.
Once the reform is published in the EU’s Official Journal, it will enter into force twenty days later and become binding across all EU member states.
The updated framework arrives amid rising pressure inside the bloc to tighten migration controls and to respond more forcefully when countries fail to cooperate with the bloc, and is expected to be considered as a way to rein in Tbilisi as Brussels grows increasingly irritated by its failure to follow recommendations on issues spanning from rule of law and election standards to treatment of civil society and press freedom.
