The opinion will explore the state of democracy in Africa and the role that the EU-Africa partnership and the recently signed Samoa agreement can play in strengthening democracy and democratic values in the region.
Igangværende (updated on 03/05/2024) - Bureau decision date: 15/02/2024
The well-functioning Single Market is a main asset of the EU. It is clearly the quality of the overall legislative framework that matters for businesses when making investment decisions, being a key competitiveness factor.
Visa-free travel brings significant benefits for the EU and partners around the globe. It makes travel more convenient and is an important tool to promote people-to-people contacts, tourism, economic development and cultural exchange. The EU currently has a visa-free regime in place with 60 third countries. Under this regime, nationals from these countries can enter the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU’s visa-free policy is based on the principle of visa reciprocity.
The number of travellers between the EU and visa-free non-EU countries in 2019 was 364.8 million. This represents a 7% increase from 2018.
At the same time, the Commission’s monitoring of the EU’s visa-free regimes, including its reports under the Visa Suspension Mechanism, has shown that visa-free travel can also be the source of significant migration and security challenges.
