Recital (9)

Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 determines the third countries whose nationals are subject to, or exempt from, the visa requirement. Some of the criteria used to assess the appropriateness of granting a visa exemption are reflected in the grounds for suspension in other provisions of that Regulation, thereby ensuring a link between the criteria for granting a visa exemption and the grounds for suspension. The suspension mechanism as revised by this Regulation should therefore also provide for the possibility of suspending the visa exemption where there is a deterioration in the Union’s external relations with a visa-exempt third country caused by serious breaches of the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations, grave violations of fundamental freedoms or of the obligations deriving from international human rights law or international humanitarian law, serious breaches of international law and international legal standards, non-compliance with international court decisions and rulings or hostile acts carried out against the Union or Member States with the aim of destabilising or undermining society or institutions which are key for the public policy and internal security of the Union or Member States. Such hostile acts could result from foreign interference in political processes, economic coercion, cyber operations, economic espionage or the sabotage of critical infrastructure. Moreover, given that the external relations of the Union will be affected as a whole, it should be the exclusive prerogative of the Commission to trigger the suspension mechanism, after consulting the Member States, on the ground of a deterioration in the Union’s external relations with a visa-exempt third country. Additionally, where the Commission considers suspending the visa exemption on that ground, it should take into account, in its assessment, the potential impact of the suspension on the nationals of the third country concerned.