Belize authorities are continuing to lobby for visa-free entry into the Schengen Area despite the EU Ambassador Dr. Erja Askola saying that the visa waiver for the country is unlikely to happen in the next years.
During a meeting held recently, the Belize Senator for Government Business, Eamon Courtenay, said that the government is still pushing to reach a visa liberalisation agreement with the bloc, Schengen.News reports.
The campaign continues for the Schengen Visa waiver for all passports for the entire Schengen area.
According to Courtenay, despite the country’s desire to reach such an agreement with the bloc, it is not very easy due to the current climate in the member states, which have introduced a number of measures to prevent irregular migration.
He further emphasised that Belize has “ticked all the boxes” when it comes to meeting the criteria, saying that it is a matter of time before the country is able to advance that process.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Courtenay said that a visa-free travel agreement with the EU would benefit many Belize passport holders, especially students.
As he stated, the Schengen waiver is necessary for Belizean students who want to reach the bloc for educational purposes. The scheme would also be extremely beneficial for businesspeople travelling regularly to the EU.
But beyond that, we export to Europe, we import from Europe, and our business people need to move freely in order to expand our trade relations. Not only students, not only business people, but also tourists.
Unrestricted Travel Should Be Reciprocal, Courtenay Said
All EU passport holders are eligible to travel to Belize without needing to obtain a visa. Taking this into account, Courtenay said that visa-free travel should be reciprocal.
They come into Belize, Europeans, without a visa, and so we say it should be reciprocal for Belizeans who want to visit European countries.
Arguing that Belize nationals do not present a risk to irregular migration, Courtenay said that passport holders of Belize have had visa-free access to the UK even when the country was part of the EU and there were no migrant flows.
While Belize believes that it should be added to the list of countries that enjoy visa-free entry to the bloc, the EU Ambassador to Belize, Dr. Erja Askola, said that the visa-free travel agreement for Belize is not realistic, at least for the next couple of years. She also stressed that the process is complex and depends on a number of factors.