COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Adapting the common visa policy to new challenges
Date: 2018-03-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU migration policy, EU visa policy, Schengen Agreement, external border of the EU, foreign national, information system, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.3.2018 COM(2018) 251 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Adapting the common visa policy to new challenges  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

1. 
The EU common visa policy1 is an essential part of the Schengen acquis and one of the most 
valued achievements of EU integration. Visa policy is, and should remain, a tool to facilitate 
tourism and business, while preventing security risks and the risk of irregular migration to the 
EU. 

While the fundamental principles of visa processing have not been reviewed since the entry 
into  force  of  the  Visa  Code2  in  2010  and  the  Visa  Information  System3  in  2011,  the 
environment  in  which  visa  policy  operates  has  drastically  changed.  The  migration  and 
security  challenges  faced  in  recent  years  have  shifted  the  political  debate  about  the  area 
without  internal  border  control  in  general,  and  about  visa  policy  in  particular,  towards  a 
the  balance  between  migration  and  security  concerns,  economic 
reassessment  of 
considerations and general external relations. 

At the same time, significant technological developments are providing new opportunities to 
make visa processing easier for both applicants and consulates. The importance of visa policy 
in the EU’s external relations has grown over the years. 

For  all  these  reasons  it  is  time  to  look  again  at  the  common  visa  policy  by  adapting  it  to 
today’s  challenges  and  opportunities  while  ensuring  it  achieves  its  two  main  objectives  of 
facilitating legitimate travel and tackling irregular migration and security threats . 

In  2014  the  Commission  proposed  a  recast  of  the  Visa  Code4,  mainly  to  further  facilitate 
travel  for  legitimate  travellers.  However,  the  negotiations  did  not  make  progress  due  to 
diverging positions  taken  by Parliament and the Council. Meanwhile, the increased security 
and  migratory  challenges  rendered  some  aspects  of  the  recast  proposal  outdated.  The 
Commission  therefore  decided  to  withdraw  the  recast  proposal  and  present  a  new  targeted 
proposal amending the Visa Code. 

The  new  proposal  amending  the  Visa  Code,  which  is  presented  today  together  with  this 
Communication,  is  intended  to  update  the  visa  procedures  to  better  respond  to  the  changed 
migratory and security situation, including by a joined up approach between visa policy and 
readmission cooperation. It will also address a number of deficiencies in the current rules to 
make it easier for legitimate travellers to obtain a visa to travel to the EU. The new proposal 
also carries over some useful aspects of the withdrawn proposal on recasting the Visa Code. 
These include provisions giving more flexibility for applicants to apply for a visa and better 
organisation of the work of consulates. 

Besides  presenting  the  main  aspects  of  the  proposal  to  amend  the  Visa  Code,  this 
Communication  also  sets  out  objectives  to  be  addressed  in  the  amendments  to  the  Visa 

1  

2  

3  

4  

The common visa policy is a set of harmonised rules governing different aspects: (i) the common ‘visa 
lists’ of countries whose nationals require a visa to travel to the EU and those who are exempt from that 
requirement;  (ii) the Visa Code establishing the procedures and conditions for issuing short-stay visas; 
(iii) the uniform format for the visa sticker; and (iv) the Visa Information System (VIS), in which all 
visa  applications  and  Member  States’  decisions  are  recorded,  including  applicants’  personal  data, 
photographs and fingerprints. 
Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13 July  2009 
establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code), OJ L 243, 15.9.2009, p. 1. 
Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  9 July  2008  (VIS 
Regulation), OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 60. 
COM(2014) 164 of 1.4.2014. 

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Information  System,  which  will  be  presented  later  in  the  spring  once  the  ongoing  technical 
studies and impact assessment have been completed. 

Together with the new systems for security, borders and migration management, such as the 
recently  adopted  Entry/Exit  System  (EES)5,  which  inter  alia  allows  for  better  checks  on 
respect  for  visa  conditions,  and  the  European  Travel  Information  Authorisation  System 
(ETIAS)6 proposed by the Commission, the foundations are being laid for a visa policy which 
is  better  equipped  to  respond  to  security  and  migration  challenges.  This  will  be  further 
enhanced by the interoperability proposal7 to improve the ability of EU information systems 
in  the  area  of  borders,  security  and  migration  management  to  exchange  data  and  share 
information. 

Finally,  the  Communication  looks  ahead  by  examining  how  to  ensure  better  synergies 
between  EU  visa  policy  and  EU  external  relations  and  by  launching  a  debate  on  the 
digitalisation of visa processing. 

2. 

OVERALL OBJECTIVES 

The proposal presented today amends several provisions of the Visa Code. The overall aim of 
these  amendments  is  to  strengthen  visa  policy  so  that  it  becomes  a  more  effective  tool  to 
respond to the heightened migratory and security challenges faced by the EU. The proposal 
will also ensure that it becomes easier to process visas for legitimate travellers who contribute 
to the growth of the EU economy or to the EU’s social and cultural development. 

As  for  the  overall  objective  of  addressing  the  migratory  challenges,  this  will  be  achieved 
through  a  new  approach  that  brings  together  visa  policy  and  readmission  cooperation  with 
third countries (see Section 3.1). Mandatory rules for the issuing of multiple-entry visas can 
also contribute indirectly to this objective (see Section 3.3). 

The  security  of  visa  processing  will  be  enhanced,  notably  by  revising  the  Visa  Information 
System  (VIS),  which  will  be  presented  later  in  the  spring  (see  Chapter  4).  The  proposal  on 
revising  the  VIS  will  also  aim  to  make  full  use  of  the  interoperability  approach. 
Interoperability is of key importance to further improve the data available to consular officers 
when  assessing  a  visa  application.  This  in  turn  will  make  it  easier  for  them  to  identify 
individuals who might pose a security or irregular migration risk and to whom a visa should 
be refused. By the same token, it will make it easier to identify bona fide travellers for whom 
visa procedures could be facilitated. 

3.  

AMENDING THE VISA CODE 

3.1. 

Joining up visa and return policies 

In recent years, the Visa Code objectives of preventing irregular migration and security risks 
have come into much sharper focus. A key pull factor for irregular migration flows to the EU 
is  the  fact  that  Member  States  have  great  difficulty  in  returning  apprehended  irregular 
migrants to their countries of origin due to the lack of cooperation by the authorities in those 
countries when it comes to complying with readmission requests from Member States. 

5  

6  
7  

The EES was established by Regulation (EU) 2017/2266 of the European Parliament and the Council 
adopted on 30.11.2017. 
COM(2016) 731 of 16.11.2016. 
COM(2017) 793 of 12.12.2017. 

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In  this  context,  visa  policy  has  been  called  upon  to  play  a  more  effective  role  in  the  EU’s 
cooperation with third countries, specifically on migration management, having also in mind 
that  a  certain  part  of  the  irregular  migrants  to  be  returned  had  entered  the  EU  legally  by 
obtaining visas which they overstayed Accordingly, the European Council of June 2017 called 
for ‘reassessing visa policy towards third countries, as needed’ as a means of achieving real 
progress in return and readmission policy. 

Against  this  background,  the  Commission  is  proposing  a  framework  to  establish  stricter 
conditions for processing visas in cases where a third country does not cooperate satisfactorily 
on  readmission.  In  this  context,  the  EU's  overall  relations  with  the  third  country  concerned 
will also be taken into account. 

3.2.  Review of the visa fee 

The  standard  visa  fee  has  not  been  revised  since  2006.  The  Commission  is  proposing  an 
increase of the fee in order to contribute to the efficient processing of the increasing number 
of visa applications and to allow Member States to maintain adequate levels of consular staff 
so  that  the  applications  can  be  processed  faster8.  Increasing  the  fee  is  justified  in  order  to 
cover  costs  for  staffing  (both  expatriate  and  locally  hired  staff),  premises,  equipment,  staff 
training and IT systems development and maintenance. 

Increasing  the  visa  fee  is  also  necessary  to:  (i)  improve  the  efficiency  of  visa  processing  in 
terms of detecting security and irregular migration risks; (ii) further upgrade Member States’ 
IT  equipment  and  software;  and  (iii)  provide  fast  and  client-friendly  procedures  to  visa 
applicants. It would also contribute to maintaining wide consular coverage across the world. 
In this context, the Commission proposes also a more flexible process for reviewing the visa 
fee in the future. 

The increase of the common visa fee proposed by the Commission, however, is moderate, so 
as to lead to a sound increase of revenues for Member States to support the integrity of visa 
processing  and  security,  without  being  a  deterrent  for  the  overwhelming  majority  of  visa 
applicants.  

3.3. 

Introducing  a  harmonised  approach  to  issuing  multiple-entry  visas  with  long 
validity 

Multiple-entry visas allow their holders to travel repeatedly to the EU during the visa’s period 
of  validity.  These  frequent  visits  contribute  positively  to  the  EU’s  economy  and  growth, 
people-to-people  contacts  and  cultural  exchanges.  The  current  rules  on multiple-entry  visas, 
however,  give  Member  States’  consulates  a  large  margin  of  discretion  when  issuing  them. 
This can lead to competition among Member States in attractive (tourist) markets, to bilateral 
agreements  or  arrangements  with  third  countries  and  to  ‘visa  shopping’.  These  practices 
undermine the basic principles of a common visa policy and are not conducive for trade and 
the economy. One reason for this is that trusted and regularly travelling businesspeople could 
end  up  having  to  apply  for  a  visa  each  and  every  time  they  need  to  travel.  In  addition,  the 
uncertainty that applicants face when submitting an application for a multiple-entry visa can 
work  as  an  incentive  for  them  to  tamper  with  their  application.  The  Commission  therefore 
proposes mandatory rules for the issuing of multiple-entry visas that would allow applicants 
with a positive visa history to be issued multiple-entry visas with increasing length of validity 
from 1 year up to a maximum of 5 years when they apply for subsequent visas. 

8  

The total number of visas applied for rose from 10.2 million in 2009 to 15.2 million in 2016. 

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3.4.  More streamlined visa procedures and facilitating short-term tourism 

One  general  objective  of  visa  policy,  namely  facilitating  travel  for  legitimate  travellers, 
should  also  be  addressed.  On  this  issue,  the  Commission  proposes  to  retain  a  number  of 
proposals  from  the  Visa  Code  recast  intended  to  simplify  the  visa  application  procedures. 
These include the possibility of applying for a visa longer in advance, electronic completion 
and  signature  of  the  visa  application  form  and  shorter  deadlines  for  deciding  on  an 
application. 

The Commission also proposes introducing some flexibility for bona fide applicants in order 
to  promote  short  tourism  trips  and  spur  economic  growth  in  the  EU.  This  would  include 
allowing  Member  States  to  issue  single-entry  visas  at  the  external  border  under  a  special 
scheme  on  a  temporary  basis  and  under  strict  conditions.  Visas  issued  under  this  scheme 
would be valid only for the issuing Member State for one entry and for a stay of a maximum 7 
days. 

4. 

TOWARDS  ENHANCED 
INFORMATION 
INTEROPERABILITY 

SYSTEM 

SECURITY  BY  REVISING  THE  VISA 
OF 

AND  MAKING 

FULL 

USE 

Another  important  component  of  the  framework  underpinning  visa  policy  is  the  Visa 
Information  System  (VIS).  Since  2011,  the  VIS9  has  served  as  the  technology  solution 
facilitating the visa procedure and helps Member States’ authorities to: (i) check rapidly and 
effectively the necessary information about third-country nationals who need a visa to travel 
to the EU; and (ii) make decisions on visa applications. The Entry Exit System (EES),  that 
will be operational as of 2020 and  is conceived as being fully interoperable with the VIS, will 
enhance  the  functioning  of  the  VIS  by  providing  information  on  the  use  made  by  third-
country nationals of their visas, and will help to establish the bona fide status of visa holders 
who already visited the Schengen area. 

The VIS was also part of a broader process of reflection on the interoperability of information 
systems. This process led to the interoperability proposal to make EU IT systems in the area 
of security, border and migration management work together in a smarter and more efficient 
way. At the core of interoperability sits a single EES-ETIAS-VIS platform that will provide a 
major  step  forward  in  data  collection  and  exchange  of  information  for  visas,  security,  and 
border and migration management. A single search platform (the European Search Portal) will 
make it possible to carry out a single search and receive results from different systems. This in 
turn will facilitate more efficient background checks on visa applicants, thus contributing to 
increasing security in the area without internal border control. In that context, the upcoming 
revision  of  the  VIS  legal  framework10  to  be  presented  in  spring  will  include  specific 
interoperability measures to increase the efficiency of visa processing (see Section 4.1). The 
proposal is also likely to address other issues identified in the evaluation of VIS carried out in 
2016  (see  Sections  4.2  and  4.3).  The  preparatory  work  for  the  VIS  proposal,  including 
technical  studies  and  an  impact  assessment,  which  will  also  analyse  the  impact  on 
fundamental rights, is ongoing. 

9  

10  

By  January  2018,  over  52  million  visa  applications  and  nearly  45  million  fingerprints  had  been 
registered in the VIS. 
The  revision  will  concern  the  following  legal  acts:  Council  Decision  2004/512/EC  of  8 June 2004 
establishing the Visa Information System (VIS founding Decision), Council  Decision  2008/633/JHA  of 
23 June 2008 (VIS Law Enforcement Access Decision), Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 (VIS Regulation) and the Visa Code. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
4.1.  Enhancing checks in visa processing using interoperability 

Under  the  existing  rules,  consulates  are  only  obliged  to  check  travellers  under  a  visa 
obligation in the Schengen Information System (SIS) to determine whether a visa applicant is 
subject to an entry ban. There is currently no obligation to check visa applicants against any 
other available EU databases (e.g. EURODAC), or against Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel 
Documents database and Travel Documents Associated with Notices database11. Once ETIAS 
is  in  place,  visa-free  travellers  to  the  EU  will  have  to  undergo  background  checks  in  all 
relevant EU databases. 

Therefore, to better prevent security and migratory risks and while respecting the principle of 
necessity and proportionality of EU action, the Commission will analyse whether the rules on 
visa processing should be amended to ensure at least comparable background verification of 
visa-required and visa-free travellers. 

Once in place, the European Search Portal will allow competent authorities — including visa 
issuing authorities — to carry out a single search and receive results from all systems they are 
authorised  to  access  (including  EURODAC,  EES  and  the  European  Criminal  Records 
Information  System  —  Third  Country  Nationals)  rather  than  searching  in  each  system 
individually.  The  European  Search  Portal  will  contribute  to  the  detection  of  security  and 
irregular migration risks in the visa procedure by enabling visa officers to perform quick and 
efficient background checks on visa applicants. 

The  interoperability  proposal  also  aims  to  make  it  easier  to  detect  multiple  identities  and 
counter  identity  fraud.  Using  this  interoperability  feature,  the  visa  authority  processing  an 
application will be notified automatically if the applicant is known under different identities 
and will be able to take the appropriate course of action. 

4.2.  Closing  remaining  information  gaps  for  borders  and  security:  include  long-stay 

visas and residence documents in the VIS 

The Final Report of the High-level expert group12 identified an information gap at EU level 
concerning the documents that allow third-country nationals to stay on the territory of a given 
EU Member State for longer than 90 days in any 180 days13. Today, data on these documents 
and  their  holders  are  not  collected  and  the  data  cannot  be  verified  through  any  of  the  EU 
large-scale  IT  systems  in  the  area  of  border  and  security  (except  SIS,  to  a  limited  extent). 
Member  States  consider  that  the  current  management  of  these  documents  leads  to 
shortcomings  in  the  facilitation  of  border  crossing  of  third  country  nationals  and  their 
subsequent  free  movement  in  the  area  without  internal  border  control.  Member  States  have 
thus requested the Commission to assess whether a central EU repository of information on 
long-stay  visas  and  residence  visas  is  necessary,  feasible  and  proportional  to  address  the 
existing information gap regarding these categories of third country nationals.14 

11  

12  

13  
14  

Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database (SLTD)  and the Travel Documents Associated 
with  Notices  (TDAWN)  database  contain  information  on  travel  documents  linked  to  individuals  who 
are subject to an Interpol notice. 
The  High-level  expert  group  was  set  up  by  the  Commission  in  June  2017  as  an  advisory  body  to 
improve  the  EU’s  data  management  architecture  for  border  control  and  security.  Its  final  report  was 
adopted on 11 May 2017. 
E.g. long-stay visas and residence documents (including both residence permits and residence cards). 
Roadmap  to  enhance  information  exchange  and  information  management  including  interoperability 
solutions in the Justice and Home Affairs area, endorsed by the Council on 9 June 2016. 

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A technical study into the feasibility of establishing a central EU repository of information on 
long-stay  visas  and  residence  documents  was  finalised  in  September  2017.  The  study 
concluded  that  a  repository  as  part  of  the  VIS  would  provide  the  most  feasible  solution  in 
terms of IT security, ease of implementation and cost effectiveness. 

4.3.  Addressing  remaining  information  gaps  in  short-stay  visa  processing:  lowering 
the fingerprinting age of applicants and storing copies of travel documents in the 
VIS 

The Commission is also assessing the following issues: 

  The  possibility  to  lower  the  fingerprinting  age  for  children  for  whom  a  visa  is 
required,  and  storing  the  fingerprints  in  the  VIS.  This  would  better  protect  children 
and  fight  against  trafficking  and  irregular  migration  while  keeping  the  child’s  best 
interests at the forefront. 

  The  possibility  to  store  in  the  VIS  copies  of  travel  documents  submitted  by  visa 
applicants  during  the  visa  procedure.  This  would  make  it  possible  to  run  enhanced 
checks  of  these  documents  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  return  procedures.  This 
measure  would  support  the  EU’s  return  policy,  but  would  rely  on  the  VIS  for  its 
implementation. 

5.  

STRENGHTENING  COHERENCE  BETWEEN  EU  VISA  POLICY  AND 
OTHER POLICIES 

The  EU  common  visa  policy  is  an  increasingly  important  component  of  the  EU's  external 
relations in a globalised world. Obtaining or maintaining visa-free travel to the EU for their 
citizens is for many partner countries a key political priority in their relations with the EU. 

The  coherence  between  visa  policy  and  commitments  made  in  other  policy  areas,  notably 
trade agreements, should be looked at, as well as coherence between the common visa policy 
and bilateral visa waiver agreements concluded by Member States with certain third countries. 

The new generation of EU trade agreements currently being negotiated typically include the 
services  sector,  allowing  individuals  to  invest  and  provide  services  on  the  other  party’s 
territory. Regarding the temporary presence of such people on the Member States’ territory, 
the preliminary analysis in the Commission’s fitness check on the Legal Migration Directives 
confirms that some of the categories of service providers covered in the trade agreements (e.g. 
service providers that are allowed stays up to 6 months in every 12 months) are not covered 
either  by  the  Visa  Code  or  by  the  existing  legislation  on  legal  migration.  The  Commission 
will  analyse  how  to  strengthen  synergies  between,  on  the  one  hand,  commitments  made  in 
trade  agreements,  and  on  the  other  hand,  the  EU’s  visa  policy  and  legal  migration  policies 
with regard to these categories of service providers. 

In  addition,  further  analysis  is  needed  of  the  bilateral  visa  waiver  agreements  concluded  by 
Member States with certain third countries prior to the entry into force in 1999 of the Treaty 
of Amsterdam when visa policy became a common policy. These bilateral agreements are still 
in  force  because  the  Member  States  and  the  third  countries  concerned  attach  great  value  to 
them,  mainly  for  historical  and  political  reasons.  Yet  not  only  should  such  bilateral 
agreements  have  no  place  in  a  truly  common  policy,  they  also  structurally  do  not  fit  as  the 
third  country  nationals  covered  by  these  agreements  could  extend  their  stay  in  the  area 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
without  internal  border  control  almost  indefinitely.15  The  EES  Regulation  provides  that  an 
assessment will be made of these agreements 3 years after the Entry/Exit System enters into 
operation. In this context, the Commission will launch a reflection on what form and scope a 
future EU instrument to replace them could take, including by studying options for visa-free 
stays longer than 90 days in the area without internal borders for nationals of certain selected 
third countries. 

The  suspension  mechanism  allowing  temporary  suspension  of  the  exemption  from  the  visa 
requirement  for  nationals  of  a  third  country  listed  in  Annex  II  to  Regulation  (EC)  No 
539/200116  has  been  recently  revised.  In  parallel,  the  development  of  new  information 
systems  for  border  and  migration  management  such  as  EES  and  ETIAS,  and  the 
interoperability  between  relevant  databases,  will  also  contribute  to  reducing  irregular 
migration  and  security  risks.  In  the  light  of  this,  the  Commission  considers  that  any  future 
proposals to transfer a third country to Annex II must be assessed in particular in the light of 
irregular  migration  risks  and  security  threats.  If  necessary,  such  proposals  must  be  made 
conditional,  on  a  case-by-case  basis,  on  the  third  countries  concerned  having  already 
implemented  certain  measures  such  as  issuing  biometric  passports  or  concluding  a 
readmission  agreement.  Such  measures  would  be  identified  in  line  with  the  criteria  set  by 
Regulation (EC) 539/200117. 

6. 

TOWARDS DIGITAL VISAS18 

The  Commission  intends  to  launch  a  debate  that  will  prepare  the  way  for  reflection  on 
whether it should move towards digital visas. 

Despite major technological advances since the Visa Code was adopted, visa applications are 
still  largely  processed  using  procedures  pre-dating  the  digital  revolution.  While  the  current 
visa process is already partly electronic, as applications and decisions are registered in VIS, 
two  important  steps  remain  paper-based,  namely  submitting  the  visa  application  with  the 
required  supporting  documents  and  the  actual  issuing  of  the  visa  sticker.  These  are  the  two 
steps in which applicants are most directly involved, as they have to present themselves at the 
consulate/external  service  provider:  (i)  when  submitting  the  application  and,  for  first-time 
applicants, having their fingerprints taken; and (ii) when they collect the travel document at 
the end of the process. Several countries (e.g. the US, Australia, Turkey) have already started 
moving  towards  e-visa  programmes  and  some  Member  States  have  also  launched  (partial) 
electronic visa application procedures. 

In  the  second  half  of  2017,  discussions  on  digitalising  visa  processing  began  with  Member 
States in the Council with a view to further enhancing and facilitating current visa processing 
practices19.  The  discussions  focused  on  two  concrete  possibilities:  (i)  replacing  the  physical 
visa sticker by a ‘digital visa’; (ii) replacing the current paper-based application by an online 
application procedure. 

15  

16  

17  

18  
19  

For  example,  there  is  at  least  one  third  country  which  has  16  bilateral  visa  waiver  agreements  with 
Schengen countries, which enable their nationals, in theory at least, to legally stay in the area without 
internal border control up to 51 months (16x3 + 1x3). 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  539/2001  of  15 March  2001  ‘listing  the  third  countries  whose  nationals 
must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt 
from that requirement’, OJ L 81, 21.3.2001, p. 1. 
The Commission is also adopting today a proposal to codify this Regulation. This codification is being 
proposed  to  improve  the  accessibility  and  transparency  of  this  legislation  without  changing  its 
substantive rules in line with standard codification practice. 
In this paper, the term ‘digital visas’ includes both digital visas and online application. 
See I/A Item note 14616/17 of 23.11.2017 for summary report. 

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Most Member States are interested in the use of digital visas. Lower costs for consulates and 
having  a  speedier,  more  efficient  and  client-friendly  application  process  were  among  the 
potential  advantages  they  cited.  There  was,  however,  also  understanding  that  many  aspects 
would  require  further  in-depth  assessment  and  studies  and  that  priority  should  be  given  to 
developing and implementing EES, ETIAS and the interoperability proposals. 

The Commission also believes that digital visas are the way forward for the longer term and 
will therefore launch feasibility studies by end-2018. In this light, the Commission considers 
it necessary to launch the debate with stakeholders on how technological developments can be 
exploited to further streamline and simplify visa processing for the benefit of applicants and 
consulates.  This  debate  will  involve  assessing  options  and  promoting  pilot  projects,  which 
would prepare the ground for future proposals. In this context, the results of the pilot projects 
that some Member States are already implementing can feed into the political debate. 

Furthermore,  some  Member  States  have  already  started  to  transfer  the  decision-making  on 
visa applications from consulates to central authorities. A debate should therefore be launched 
on whether, and under which circumstances, the integrity and security of visa processing can 
be  safeguarded  in  such  cases.  Such  a  debate  will  need  to  consider,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
importance of knowledge of local circumstances in the migratory risk assessment involved in 
each  visa  application  decision  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  advantages  of  a  centralised 
approach in terms of efficiency and transparency. 

7. 

CONCLUSION 

The  EU  common  visa  policy  is  an  essential  element  for  ensuring  the  security  and  proper 
functioning  of  the  area  without  internal  border  control.  It  has  facilitated  legitimate  travel  to 
the  EU  and  has  gone  a  long  way  towards  ensuring  harmonisation  in  Member  States’  visa 
issuing  practices.  In  addition,  visa  policy  has  developed  from  an  internal  policy  into  an 
increasingly important external relations tool for the EU. 

Despite  this  solid  track  record,  the  legal  framework  underpinning  visa  policy  needs  to  be 
adapted to the current challenges, in particular the increased irregular migration and security 
risks. To this end, the Commission is proposing today  a number of amendments to the Visa 
Code and calls on Parliament and the Council to adopt them swiftly. Amendments to the VIS 
legal framework will follow later in spring. 

In  parallel,  the  Commission  will,  together  with  the  High  Representative  for  Foreign  Affairs 
and  Security  Policy,  work  on  ensuring  coherence  between  the  EU  visa  policy  and  the  EU 
external relations to better serve the EU’s interests, including the consistency of visa policy 
with other policy areas. 

Looking  into  the  future,  the  Commission  will  initiate  discussions  with  Parliament,  the 
Member States and other stakeholders on the further digitalisation of visa processing. Studies 
to  be  launched  by  end-2018  will  also  feed  into  the  discussions.  The  need  for  sufficient 
financial resources will be an important element to take into consideration in the post- 2020 
multi-annual Financial Framework. 

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