On Thursday, the European Commission adopted the first EU visa strategy in its history. It lays the groundwork for a visa policy that will support the long-term interests of the EU, make it more strategic, and enhance readiness to effectively respond to increasing mobility, regional instability, and geopolitical competition.
The European Commission presented strategies in the field of visa policy and migration.
Tallinn, January 29, LETA-BNS. On Thursday, the European Commission adopted the first EU visa strategy in its history. It lays the groundwork for a visa policy that will support the long-term interests of the EU, make it more strategic, and enhance readiness to effectively respond to increasing mobility, regional instability, and geopolitical competition.
The strategy pursues three main objectives: strengthening the security of the Schengen Area, supporting economic growth and the competitiveness of the EU, and promoting the strategic interests, values, and global position of the EU.
Every year, millions of travelers arrive at the external borders of the Schengen Area on both short-term visas and from visa-free countries. To manage borders more effectively, modern and effective systems are needed that enhance security while simplifying legitimate travel. The EU is implementing modern digital tools to modernize visa issuance and border control systems. By 2028, EU IT systems will be functionally compatible, allowing multiple databases to be queried simultaneously through a single centralized search. This will simplify information sharing and help prevent abuses of the visa system.
The Commission also presented a new European strategy for asylum and migration management, outlining the EU's political goals in the field of asylum and migration for the next five years. The strategy defines the further course of action to achieve three main objectives: preventing illegal migration and curbing the activities of criminal networks engaged in human smuggling; protecting people fleeing war and persecution while simultaneously preventing abuses of the system; and attracting talented professionals to the EU to enhance the competitiveness of economies.
To implement the strategy, the European Commission proposed in its proposal for the next multiannual financial program (2028-2034) to allocate €81 billion to the area of internal affairs and to create a financial instrument called "Global Europe." The latter is intended to support a more strategic approach to international partnerships in line with the strategic interests of the EU, including in the field of migration.
