Visa-free travel brings significant benefits to the Union and third countries alike. Economic, social and cultural relations with third countries create prosperity and promote internationally the open and free nature of the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice. The Union’s common visa policy, in that regard, is a cornerstone of its engagement with third countries. At the same time, the evolving geopolitical context has brought new challenges linked to visa-free travel. In order to address those new challenges and a wider range of irregular migration, public policy and security risks arising from the third countries listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (visa-exempt third countries), the mechanism for the temporary suspension of the visa exemption for the nationals of a visa-exempt third country (the suspension mechanism) should be strengthened and made more efficient.
Text as published in the Official Journal, reproduced verbatim (including any typographical quirks of the source). For the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
