Work of free visa regime between Moldova and EU discussed in Brussels

Chisinau, 10 September /MOLDPRES/ - The Moldovan diplomacy head, Oleg Tulea, met European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson today.

According to the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s press service, the discussion was focused on the subject of work of the free visa regime, in the context of the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic. The Moldovan official also told his interlocutor the Chisinau authorities’ interest in the strengthening of the interaction with the present cooperation mechanisms of the European Union in the migration and borders’ supervision sector.

Minister Oleg Tulea spoke out for undertaking joint efforts, in order to gradually reestablish the free movement within the free visa regime with the European Union, which remains to be hit by the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Commissioner Ylva Johansson declared for a coordinated approach on behalf of EU as to the lift of the restrictions introduced in the context of the pandemic, based on objective criteria and especially on the evolution of the epidemiological situation in third countries.

The Moldovan diplomat confirmed the Moldovan authorities’ firm commitment to fulfill the conditions assumed and the recommendations of the European Commission, published in the third report on the mechanism of visa regime suspension in early last July.

Oleg Tulea and Ylva Johansson discussed also the boosting of cooperation within the Mobility Partnership. The sides voiced hope that the launch, in the long run, of new initiatives, such as the European pact on migration and asylum, would contribute to the fostering of cooperation in the migration field.

In 2014-2020, more than two million Moldova’s citizens made travels to Schengen Area member states, recording over six million travels in all. According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the number of refusals for entry accounted, on average, for 0.3 per cent and the number of cases of illegal stay was 0.5 per cent, on average. Possibility to travel without visas to EU was opened in 2014 for about 2.5 million holders of biometric passports, including for more than 200,000 Moldovan citizens who live in the Transnistrian region of Moldova.