The European Union and Kazakhstan authorities held their 21st meeting this week, with both parties confirming that they are committed to deepening their cooperation and reaching an agreement on visa facilitation.
As the authorities revealed, the EU and Kazakhstan confirmed during their meeting that they are open to proceeding with the preparation of negotiations for a Visa Facilitation Agreement as well as a Readmission Agreement, Schengen.News reports.
Such a statement suggests that both parties are willing to work together and reach an agreement on the matter soon, thus facilitating travel for nationals of Kazakhstan to the bloc.
During their meeting, the authorities touched upon other topics, too, with the EU stressing that good governance, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption are key to a functioning democracy.
EU & Kazakhstan Launched Visa Facilitation Talks in June This Year
The EU International Special Envoy for Sanctions, David O’Sullivan, confirmed earlier in June this year that the bloc and Kazakhstan had officially launched talks to simplify the visa procedures for the country’s nationals.
However, before any facilitation is talked about and any decision is considered, the preparation of negotiations needs to take place.
Sharing the news on the agreement to launch the talks during a press conference, O’Sullivan said that positive developments had been seen in the EU-Kazakhstan relations and, at the same time, emphasised that the launch of the talks would help to strengthen the relationship between both parties further.
Through the talks with the EU on the matter, Kazakhstan is aiming to reach an agreement that would allow its citizens to apply for Schengen visas under facilitated and more favourable rules.
Kazakhstan Wants EU to Facilitate Some Schengen Visa Application Rules
Kazakhstan authorities previously said that they want the EU to lower the Schengen visa application fee for its citizens.
In addition, the country has also required the EU to start issuing Schengen visas with a longer validity period for Kazakhstan passport holders. It also asked for the processing time to be reduced, among some other things.
Assuring the EU authorities that there will not be any irregular migration risks when the visa rules get facilitated, the Kazakhstan authorities said that the country has taken a number of measures and has made improvements.
Kazakhstan also noted that it is open to cooperating in the readmission of its nationals who stay in the EU irregularly.
Data from the Schengen Statistics Portal show that nationals of Kazakhstan submitted a total of 159,072 Schengen visa applications in 2023, ranking 20th among nationalities that submitted the most applications.
Of the total number of applicants, 143,970 of them were granted a visa. On the other hand, 14,285 of them were refused the document.
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-confirms-readiness-to-begin-preparations-for-visa-facilitation-negotiations-with-kazakhstan/
