Baku. "We hope
that the agreement between the European Union and Azerbaijan on visa
facilitation and readmission agreements will enter into force in the summer of
this year," the head of the EU Delegation in Baku, Malena Mard, said at
the press conference today.
The cost of visa fees will be reduced from
60 to 35 euros. In a lite mode visas will be received by a number of categories
of the population: students, participants of scientific exchange, businessmen,
journalists, members of official delegations, etc. The number of documents to obtain visas will
be also reduced.
In addition, the Commission proposes to
facilitate the general rules for the issuance of Schengen visas. "This
project was approved yesterday by the European Commission and submitted for
approval to the Member States," she said.
Now the holders of visas issued for 90 days may stay in the Schengen
area within six months. According to the same innovation, according to the
length of stay, the visas have been increased to 1 year.
The procedure for issuing multiple-entry
visas for business and a number of other categories has been also simplified.
If during the year a person has received two short-term visas and did not
commit any violations, he can get multiple-entry visas for a period of three
years or more.
The EU believes the new rules will attract
additional 7 million tourists a year to the Schengen zone.