EU envoy reveals when Schengen visas to cost cheaper for Belarusians

There is only one step remaining before the visa regime facilitation agreement can be signed between Belarus and the European Union, EU envoy in Minsk Andrea Wiktarin said in an interview with tut.by. 

The talks on the agreement have been ongoing since 2014. The latest hurdle for the signing is Poland’s proposition to increase the number of consuls. “Already back in 2015, we proposed to sign a joint declaration on the consular workers. It would allow embassies to request more consuls to cope with increased workload," the EU diplomat explained. 

Wiktarin also said that the EU had offered a compromise to Minsk on this issue: “I think it will be the last step before we can complete the procedure."

If the parties agree on the wording of the deal, it will take the EU two or three months to finalize the procedure. 

Euroradio reported earlier that the European Union plans to increase the cost of a Schengen visa from 60 to 80 euros. Andrea Wiktorin hopes the agreement can be signed before this increase. "You can rest assured that the EU is doing everything to have this agreement signed. This is in our interests," she added.