Czech Republic may become a Schengen country by autumn 2007
According to a statement by Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, by October 2007 the Czech Republic intends to sign the Schengen visa agreement. In his words, it is not as difficult for the Czech Republic to enter the Schengen area as for other countries. This will not require building new borders, as, for example, Poland, which borders Belarus, or Slovakia, which borders Ukraine.
The Czech Republic became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004, but entry into the common European visa area had to wait - such delays are inevitable for all new EU members. The Czechs will have to adapt Prague's Ruzyne Airport to the new realities, implement a new system of information exchange with other European countries, and add biometric data to passports.
Easing of the visa regime between Russia and the European Union will not affect tourists
Russia and the European Union signed agreements on visa facilitation and readmission. The signing ceremony took place in Sochi following the Russia-EU summit.
The goal of the agreement is to mutually simplify the procedure for issuing visas for a period of no more than 90 days during each 180-day period to citizens of the Russian Federation and the European Union. It is expected that the visa fee will now be a fixed amount - €35. At the same time, the parties charge a fee of €70 for issuing visas in cases where the visa application and supporting documents are submitted by the applicant no more than three days before the intended date of departure.
Visas will be issued on direct requests from host organizations, without presenting invitations, for members of official delegations, entrepreneurs, journalists, students and schoolchildren participating in exchange programs, as well as participants in international sporting events, and close relatives of persons legally residing in the territories of the states.
The visa facilitation does not apply to the most numerous category of travelers - tourists. For holders of diplomatic passports, the introduction of a visa-free travel regime for a total duration of up to three months within six months is envisaged, reports RBC.
To enter into force, both documents must be ratified by the European Parliament. The Russian President at the Sochi summit expressed hope that the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission would enter into force before the end of the current year.