Today, the Council decided to temporarily suspend certain elements of EU legislation governing the issuing of visas to Ethiopian nationals. In particular, Member States will no longer be able to:
- abolish the evidence requirements for visa applicants from Ethiopia;
- issue multiple entry visas,
- cancel the visa fee for holders of diplomatic and service passports.
In addition, the standard visa processing period is now 45 calendar days instead of the previous 15 calendar days.
This decision follows the Commission’s assessment that Ethiopia’s cooperation in the readmission of nationals illegally staying in the EU is insufficient. Ethiopian authorities do not respond adequately to readmission requests, and difficulties persist in issuing temporary travel documents and organizing voluntary and involuntary return operations.
A suspension decision is a temporary decision but does not have a specific end date. The Commission will continue to assess any progress made on readmission cooperation.
General Information
Based on the EU Visa Code, the Commission regularly assesses the cooperation of third countries in the field of readmission. These assessments may lead to the conclusion that the third country concerned is not cooperating sufficiently. In such cases, the EU may decide to suspend the application of some provisions of the Visa Code.
For Ethiopia, the Commission found a particularly low return rate. In addition, Ethiopia has issued a small number of travel documents in response to Member States’ readmission requests, indicating a low level of cooperation.
