The European Parliament (specifically its Committee on Civil Liberties, LIBE) has published a draft amendment to the law that touches on the topic of EU visa rules. It mentions, among other things, countries that have a visa-free entry agreement with the European Union and at the same time have investment citizenship programs (CBI). According to a published document with draft amendments, parliamentarians want to tighten the rules regarding the potential suspension or complete termination of visa-free agreements.
What are the reasons for the suspension of the visa-free agreement?
The draft law mentions that reasons for terminating such agreements may include a lack of comprehensive security checks, vetting procedures and due diligence by such third countries with regard to investor citizenship schemes pose several serious security risks for Union citizens, such as those stemming from money laundering and corruption.
All these arguments have already been made; in 2024, the Caribbean countries carried out a general reform (the Memorandum), within the framework of which they strengthened (thus, serious) control over the verification of candidates, introduced mandatory interviews, increased the minimum cost of investment, etc.
