Baltic states to join Schengen this year
The Baltic states, as well as other new EU members, are to join the Schengen Agreement as early as December 2007. The decision will be signed in November, the European Parliament office in Latvia reported.
Under the Schengen Agreement, border checks will be abolished at all land borders between the 15 old and new EU countries - the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. Border checks will remain only for sea and air transport - at airports.
According to EUbusiness, citing diplomatic circles in the EU, the European Union intends to abolish border checks for citizens of nine new EU member states that joined in 2004 in December this year. Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and the Czech Republic will open land and sea borders by December this year, and air borders by March 2008. "The removal of checkpoints is expected in mid-to-late December, which will be a Christmas gift for all Europeans. We confirm our plans to remove border checks on land and sea by December this year, and at airports by March 2008," said Franco Frattini, EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security.
It should be recalled that the Schengen area currently includes 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Estonian police can cancel tourist visas
The Estonian government adopted a regulation on a visa register that will allow the police to cancel visas of foreigners staying in the country, the government press service reported.
Under the new regulation, the police gain the right to participate in the coordination process for issuing and canceling visas, and access to the visa register data. Currently, the Citizenship and Migration Board has the authority to prematurely terminate foreigners' visas.
Due to the requirements of the Schengen visa area, Estonia intends to start using the visa register on September 1 of this year, and the regulation on the visa register will also enter into force on the same day.
In Germany, young drivers cannot drink even one mug of beer
In Germany, novice drivers and young people under 21 are banned from getting behind the wheel even after one mug of beer. The total ban for these categories came into force on August 1 of this year, a Transport Ministry spokesperson said.
According to him, thanks to this innovation, the Transport Ministry expects a significant reduction in the number of road accidents caused by drunk driving. "In the fight for safety on German roads, we rely on constant preventive measures and effective sanctions. According to statistics, alcohol is one of the main causes of road accidents, especially among young people and novice drivers, who pose a potential danger on the roads even with a low concentration of alcohol in their blood," the Transport Minister told journalists.
Under the new law, even one mug of beer will now have serious consequences for violators: a fine of up to €1,000, two penalty points in the central traffic register, the possibility of extending the usual two-year probationary period by another two years, and a road traffic seminar costing up to €200. The law applies to all novice drivers, regardless of age, who typically have a two-year probationary period after obtaining a license, as well as to young people under 21.
Tokyo taxis to become "smoke-free" from the new year
The management of the Tokyo Automobile Passenger Transport Association, which unites 90% of the capital's taxi companies, decided to prohibit passengers from smoking during trips from January 2008.
The Association's management took this step after being convinced of the viability of the smoking ban idea using the example of Kanagawa Prefecture and Nagoya city, where almost all taxis were declared "smoke-free" at the beginning of this year. Initially, it was planned that in Tokyo only 20% of cars would be transferred to this category within a year.
The idea of a widespread smoking ban in taxis is driven not only by health concerns but also by a large number of complaints from non-smoking citizens about unpleasant odors in taxi cabs. To satisfy the interests of all passengers, "smoke-free" taxis are ready to offer customers special chewing strips that will help heavy smokers endure until the end of the trip. Otherwise, the passenger will be offered to stop and smoke outside.
The introduction of the ban faces resistance from private taxi drivers, who are not always ready to restrict their regular customers, on whom their personal income directly depends. To implement the idea of a universal smoking ban in taxis, the association intends to cooperate with them. In addition, negotiations will be held with companies that are not members of the Association.