European Council fully suspends visa-free travel agreement with Vanuatu

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – The European Council on Tuesday decided to fully suspend the visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu, citing risks posed by its investor citizenship schemes.

Following the partial suspension, which was imposed on March 3, the European Commission began a dialogue with the country on May 12 to address the EU’s concerns, the Council said in a statement.

"However, since then the country has failed to engage in any meaningful way and the circumstances that led to the temporary suspension still persist," it added.

The Council specified the risks as the "extremely low" rejection rate, absence of physical presence or residence requirements, granting of citizenship to applicants listed in Interpol databases, and nationalities of origin of successful applicants.

The decision will apply as of Feb. 4, it said.

The visa waiver deal has been applied between the EU and Vanuatu since 2015, allowing citizens of Vanuatu to travel to the EU without a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.