EU Parliament Votes For Schengen Visa Waiver For UAE

01 Mar 2014

523 out of 577 members voted in favour of waiving the visa for Emirates travelling to Schengen states. This was the result of years of efforts and welcomed by the UAE officials.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said “UAE will be the first Arab country to get exemption from the  Schengen visa, which helps citizens to freely move between the countries.”  

Dr Gargash praised the UAE’s mission to the EU and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and said they have worked through a complex process over years and done a professional job.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, tweeted his thanks to Sulaiman Al Mazroui, ambassador to the EU.

Sheikh Abdullah stated that it was vital for United Arab Emirates to increase the level of happiness and improve its status for its citizens. He said that the vote was the result of the impression left by the UAE nationals visiting EU countries and it also shows the UAE’s role in the world.

Dr Gargash said, to some extent the UAE’s development, its exposure to the world and the acquaintance that other nations have with the UAE  helped in this process. Still, there are some agreements and discussions that need to be finalized before this visa waiver scheme is introduced. Basically, Parliament’s vote is an important milestone in the Schengen visa waiver.

The parliament also backed visa-waiver travel for citizens of Peru and Colombia. It said that these two countries were to be in the visa-free list, but before this is introduced, the European Commission will evaluate the situation in both the countries and take a decision.

Travel arrangements will be made after the final declaration is made by the working team of EU and UAE.

 Waiving visa requirements for UAE will facilitate development and expand business relations and mutually benefit UAE and European Union. Investment and trade between EU and UAE exceed €50 billion, as reported by officials.

The Schengen area comprises of 26 states, which includes 22 out of the 28 European Union member countries.

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