Magnus Brunner: ‘we will have new grounds to suspend visa-free travel’

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner on Tuesday said the European Union would introduce new legal grounds for suspending visa-free travel agreements with third countries. The changes aim to strengthen the EU’s migration and security framework, adding new criteria to those already in place.

“We will have new grounds to suspend visa-free travel - for example, when a third country operates an investor citizenship scheme, when it fails to sufficiently align its visa policy with that of the EU, or when our foreign relations with that country deteriorate, particularly due to serious human rights violations or breaches of international law,” Brunner said.

He emphasised that trust remained the key principle of the visa-free policy.

“A sound visa-free regime is built on mutual trust. We expect our partner countries with visa-free status to align their policies with the EU’s. Otherwise, they might become transit routes for irregular migration - something we cannot accept,” Brunner added.

The statement comes after the European Parliament voted in favour of simplifying the mechanism for suspending visa liberalisation. Under the new rules, the EU will be able to trigger the suspension process more quickly and flexibly.

A total of 518 members of the European Parliament supported the measure, 96 voted against, and 24 abstained, signaling strong backing for tightening control over visa-free travel arrangements with third countries.