On Wednesday, October 18, the European Parliament expressed its support for new regulations regarding the digitization of Schengen visas. The aim of these changes is to increase the security of documents, but also to facilitate their acquisition.
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– Europe is currently lagging behind other countries in terms of digital visa procedures. Thanks to this reform, we will catch up, and the whole process will become cheaper and easier for applicants. It will also make it more difficult to abuse the system, making the process safer. A unified EU visa on a unified platform will be part of building Europe as a unified geographical entity – said during the debate preceding the vote, reporter Matjaz Nemec (S&D).
After reaching an agreement with the Council in June, the European Parliament approved digital visa procedures for the Schengen free movement area with 573 votes in favor, 36 against and 16 abstentions (digitization of the visa procedure) and 548 votes in favor, 37 against and 9 abstentions (regulation on visa stickers).
The digitization of the visa application process aims to reduce costs and effort at the application stage, while ensuring harmonious practices throughout Europe and improving security. Applicants believe that the new procedures will be "simpler, cheaper and faster".
Swedish Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said the change will "increase the security of the Schengen area, for example by reducing the risk of forgery and theft of visa stickers".
– The digital Schengen visa will make it easier for travelers to apply for entry permits. It will save applicants additional visits to consulates and streamline the activities of national administrations – she added.
It is worth noting that all applications will be processed through one online platform, which will inform applicants which country has received their application (in case of trips involving multiple countries). The new, cryptographically signed, digital Schengen visa will also make visas more secure, as they will be harder to forge than the forgery-prone stickers.
The visa system in the European Union has been moving towards digitization for some time. Databases have been created that help monitor entries and exits, overstay and streamline security checks at the external borders of the bloc. Some countries, such as Australia, already have similar systems in which the online visa is linked to the traveler's passport. The authors of the project argue that the announcement of the pandemic has seriously slowed down visa activities and necessitated the digitization of procedures. At the same time, the new solutions will give EU officials access to an even larger amount of sensitive personal data. The system may become a tool for deep surveillance of people coming to the Schengen area.
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