Once adopted by the Council, the partial suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement will apply to certain provisions of the Agreement. As a result, the requirements for further written evidence of the purpose of the trip would not be waived and the visa application processing fee would not be reduced. The measures concern only members of official Belarusian delegations and members of Belarusian national and regional governments and parliaments, the Belarusian Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Belarus in the exercise of their functions. Perhaps the agreements signed by Belarus and the EU will also open the door for Belarusians to benefit from an ETIAS in the near future. Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for promoting our European way of life, said: “Today is a concrete step that will bring Europeans and Belarusians closer together. The visa facilitation agreement will allow EU and Belarus citizens to travel more freely, and the readmission agreement will also contribute to the fight against irregular migration, which will benefit both Belarus and the EU. Today, the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between the EU and Belarus enter into force. These agreements represent an important step towards strengthening the EU`s engagement with the Belarusian people and civil society. They will pave the way for better mobility of citizens, facilitate travel from Belarus to the EU and help establish closer relations in relations between Belarus and the EU. The proposal is addressed to certain categories of officials associated with the regime and does not concern ordinary citizens of Belarus, who will continue to enjoy the same benefits as at present under the visa facilitation agreement.

According to the proposal for partial suspension, the requirements for additional written proof of the purpose of travel and the visa processing fee apply Press release: Visa facilitation and readmission: The European Union and Belarus sign an agreement, 8 January 2020 The visa facilitation agreement makes it easier for Belarusian citizens to obtain short-term visas for the European Union. visa fees have been reduced to €35 and waived for certain categories of travellers. Among other things, the representatives agreed to reduce the price of a Schengen visa for Holders of Belarusian passports, such as: The agreement signed by the EU and Belarus in January 2020 aims to mutually facilitate visa procedures, as well as the reduction of visa fees for Belarusians. The decision is adopted in the context of Belarus` attempts to destabilise the EU and its Member States by facilitating irregular migration for political purposes and suspending the readmission to Belarus of people without the right of residence in the EU. The Commission is today proposing to suspend certain articles of the EU Visa Facilitation Agreement with the Republic of Belarus. The move follows attempts by the Belarusian regime to destabilise the EU and its member states by facilitating irregular migration for political purposes, as well as its decision of 28 September. June 2021 to suspend the EU-Belarus readmission agreement. The proposal is addressed to certain categories of officials associated with the regime and does not concern ordinary citizens of Belarus, who will continue to enjoy the same benefits as at present under the visa facilitation agreement. The former Byelorussian Soviet Republic is one of the few European countries whose nationals still need a valid Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area. Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Belarus on visa facilitation According to the signed agreement, holders of Belarusian passports have the opportunity to apply for visas at embassies and visa centers of the countries of the European Union. The decision will now be published in the Official Journal and will enter into force on the second day following that of its publication. Under the Visa Facilitation Agreement, the decision to suspend the other Contracting Party must be notified at least 48 hours before its entry into force.

The Republic of Belarus shall enjoy a transitional period of two years as regards the readmission of third-country nationals. The Joint Declaration annexed to the readmission regime commits the European Union to provide Belarus with technical and financial assistance in this field. According to the press release issued after the ceremony, the agreement is .” provides for the possibility for a greater number of categories of travellers to apply for a Schengen visa free of charge, as well as to obtain multiple-entry visas with increasingly long validity periods (up to 5 years)”. These measures are contrary to the fundamental principles on the basis of which the Visa Facilitation Agreement was concluded and run counter to the interests of the EU. The European Commission has proposed to partially suspend the EU Visa Facilitation Agreement with the Republic of Belarus, which provides for the reciprocal issuance of visas to EU and Belarusian citizens for a maximum stay of 90 days for certain categories of officials associated with the regime. According to Bozinovic`s statements at the ceremony, visa statistics indicate close relations between Belarus and the EU. According to Bozinovic`s statement, in 2018 alone, nearly 700,000 Belarusian citizens applied for a Schengen visa, most of which were multiple-entry visas. At the end of June, Minsk announced the suspension of the agreement on the readmission of people illegally crossing the border between Belarus and the EU. Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey said the authorities had no intention of “arresting some of the migrants who want to go west.” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said: “These agreements will improve mobility in a well-managed and safe environment. Once the travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus are eased, it will become easier for Belarusian citizens to come to the EU. This means closer ties and exchanges between our peoples and societies.

Following the signing of the agreements, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei met with Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, and Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, to discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation under the Eastern Partnership Initiative. The EU and Belarus signed the visa facilitation and readmission agreements on 8 January 2020. On the Belarusian side, a ratification procedure took place, with both agreements taking place on 2 September. It was adopted by the House of Representatives in April 2020 and approved by the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus. On the EU side, the European Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the agreements on 13 May 2020 and the Council officially completed their ratification on 27 May 2020. Regarding the visa facilitation agreement, Vladimir Makei expressed the hope that the European Union will express its support for the temporary freezing of the cost of Schengen visas for Belarusians, at least until the full implementation of the agreement. .