Sweden has resumed EU talks on tightening visas for nations with a lot of “unfounded” asylum-seekers, mentioning Colombia, Georgia, and Venezuela.
In what it known as “severe abuse” of EU visa coverage, the Swedish EU presidency warned that numbers of individuals claiming asylum after arriving to Europe from visa-free nations had been on the rise.
Round 190,000 folks did so final yr — greater than twice the determine in 2021, Sweden famous in an inner memo dated 14 March.
“The most typical nationalities had been Venezuela (51,000), Colombia (43,000) and Georgia (29,000)”, it stated.
Asylum-rejection charges from all three nations had been effectively over 90 p.c, and “these asylum functions had been to a big extent unfounded,” Sweden stated.
“The visa-free regime might be suspended on the idea of a considerable improve of asylum software,” it warned.
However there have been “softer” issues that may very well be completed first and “as a matter of urgency”, it stated.
“Mere monitoring and clear communication on the expectations from the EU on the companion nation on this regard might represent a manner of exercising mushy strain which in itself can result in outcomes,” Sweden stated.
It didn’t clarify on what foundation Venezuela, for instance, might a priori deny folks permission to journey to Europe as long as there was no visa regime, nevertheless.
The EU has visa-free offers in place with 61 nations.
For the remainder of the world, Sweden stated there must be higher “visa profiling” to kind “bona fide travellers” from “individuals who could the truth is purpose to not return to the third nation however to use for asylum”.
The profiling may very well be completed by seconded consultants in doc safety at EU consulates abroad and by “common coaching of visa and border workers”, Sweden added.
And this “may very well be accompanied by coverage measures inside the bilateral relations with involved nations”, Sweden stated, alluding to diplomatic or financial strain.
“How can we encourage improvement of native danger profiles … in probably the most affected nations?”, Sweden requested EU diplomats to ponder, as talks roll out on the difficulty as soon as once more.
The memo’s hard-nosed language comes from a right-wing Swedish authorities, which struck an accord with a far-right get together to take energy.
Stockholm additionally cited earlier anxieties over Western Balkan asylum traits, referring again to “the dialogue on visa and asylum which has been initiated by earlier presidencies”.
The Czech EU presidency final yr took purpose at what it known as “uncommon nationalities” coming to assert asylum through the Western Balkans.
“Nationals from Turkey, Tunisia, India, Cuba and Burundi, particularly, enter legally (visa-free) by air in Serbia (and from a few of these nations additionally in Albania) and a really excessive quantity strikes irregularly additional in the direction of EU member states,” a Czech memo stated final October.
“In case diplomatic efforts would fail, the EU must even be ready and contemplate an inventory of different measures that may very well be used, together with additionally within the context of the visa suspension mechanism,” the Czechs additionally stated, referring to potential freezing of EU visa-free offers with Albania and Serbia.
