Position on Modernising the EU’s policy on short-stay ‘Schengen’ visas

The supporting organisations of the European Tourism Manifesto for Growth and Jobs have reacted to the public consultation from DG Migration and Home Affairs on modernising the EU’s policy on short-stay ‘Schengen’ visas, submitting a position paper highlighting the urgency of the reform.

The paper underlines the importance of the tourism sector as a contributor to EU GDP and stresses the necessity for the Commission to adopt more lenient visa policies to facilitate tourism to Europe and also to tap into potentially lucrative source markets.

The paper also answers six questions addressed to industry stakeholders, and compiles their opinions and recommendations on the following issues: procedural improvements to minimise as far as possible administrative burdens for consulates and applicants, harmonised policy implementation,  level of the standard visa fee, the use of outsourcing in the visa procedure and the role of External Service Providers and, digitisation of the application procedure.

Additionally, the supporting organisations reinforced their message in their feedback on the Roadmap on ‘Communication on the Future of the Visa Policy’.