According to information published on the EU’s website, teams from the European Parliament and the European Council have agreed on the grounds for suspending visa-free travel for short-term visits to the EU.

The reform of the visa-free travel suspension mechanism, agreed upon today, will allow the EU to respond more flexibly to countries’ disregard for key principles of visa-free agreements, which may include security issues and human rights violations.

"In the future, violations of the UN Charter, gross violations of international human rights or humanitarian law, and non-compliance with international court decisions will serve as legal grounds for suspending visa-free regimes. The new law introduces additional grounds for suspension, including hybrid threats, such as state-sponsored instrumentalization of migrants aimed at destabilizing or undermining societies, and schemes granting citizenship to investors (‘golden passports’) that raise security concerns. A country’s non-alignment with the EU’s visa policy, which potentially turns it into a transit country for illegal entry into the EU, will also be a legal basis for suspending visa-free travel. Existing grounds, including lack of cooperation on readmission, will be retained," the statement reads.

The EU clarifies that existing grounds, including the lack of cooperation on readmission, will also be maintained.