Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform
format for visas
(2001/C 180 E/30)
(Text with EEA relevance)
COM(2001) 157 final  2001/0080(CNS)
(Submitted by the Commission on 23 March 2001)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 62 (2) (b) (iii) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 (
1) laid down a
uniform format for visas.
(2) It is necessary to be able to establish common standards
relating to the implementation of the format in particular
common standards for filling in the form and enhanced
security standards for their storage.
(3) Common standards relating to the implementation of the
uniform format of visas are essential to achieve a high
technical standard and to facilitate detection of forged orfalsified visa stickers.
(4) The powers to adopt such common standards should be
conferred to the Committee established by Article 6 ofRegulation (EC) No 1683/95. Since the measuresnecessary for the implementation of the Regulation aremeasures of general scope within the meaning of Article2 of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 layingdown the procedures for the exercise of implementingpowers conferred on the Commission, they should beadopted by use of the regulatory procedure provided forin Article 5 of that Decision.
(5) It is therefore necessary to amend Regulation (EC)
No 1683/95 consequently.
(6) The present Regulation constitutes in relation to the
implementation of the Agreement on the association ofNorway and Iceland a development of the Schengenacquis in the sense of the Protocol integrating the
Schengen acquis into the framework of the European
Union,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 is amended as follows:1. Article 2 is replaced by the following:
Article 2
Further technical specifications for the uniform format for
visas relating to the following shall be established incompliance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2):
(a) further security requirements including enhanced anti-
forgery, counterfeiting and falsification standards;
(b) conditions of storage to prevent theft;(c) rules for the filling in of the uniform visa;(d) other conditions necessary for the implementation of
the uniform format for visas.
2. Article 6 is replaced by the following:
Article 6
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee,
composed of representatives of the Member States andchaired by a representative of the Commission.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, the regu-
latory procedure laid down in Article 5 of Decision1999/468/EC shall apply in compliance with Article 7thereof.
3. The period provided for in Article 5(6) shall be of one
month.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly
applicable in all Member States in accordance with the ECTreaty.EN C 180 E/310 Official Journal of the European Communities 26.6.2001
(1) OJ L 164, 14.7.1995, p. 1.