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A:
Agreements on visa relaxations, readmission to be initialled tomorrow
Belgrade,
7 May 2007
Director of the Serbian government's EU Integration Office Tanja Miscevic said today that representatives of Serbia and the European Commission will initial the agreements on visa relaxations and readmission tomorrow in Belgrade.
Tanja Miscevic
Miscevic told the Tanjug news agency that the initialling will be preceded by talks on the texts of these documents, with the emphasis on the disputed article on readmission.
A compromise has been reached on this article that refers to citizens of third countries who entered the EU illegally through Serbia.
She said that the initialling will help ease the visa regime for a large number of categories of Serbian citizens. These are civil servants, businessmen, students, elementary and secondary school students, the expert community and free professions such as doctors, lawyers and architects, and for those who have to travel often because of negotiations with the EU.
According to Miscevic, visa relaxations are envisaged for all those who take part in city twinning programmes, exchange programmes, sports, arts and cultural events and competitions, or who travel to EU countries for medical reasons and visits to their families and religious sites.
Miscevic said that the right to visa relaxations also refers to journalists, NGO employees, civil society activists, members of religious communities and a number of other categories.
Speaking about the single readmission agreement, she explained that it will regulate the issue of the return of Serbian citizens living illegally in EU countries and citizens from third countries who entered the EU directly from Serbia.
She said that after they are initialled, the plan is to sign these agreements, which will most likely occur in September so they could come into force on January 1 next year.
According to Miscevic, visa relaxations will then be applied to all listed categories and the readmission will change from a bilateral one to becoming a single agreement with EU member states.
A compromise has been reached on this article that refers to citizens of third countries who entered the EU illegally through Serbia.
She said that the initialling will help ease the visa regime for a large number of categories of Serbian citizens. These are civil servants, businessmen, students, elementary and secondary school students, the expert community and free professions such as doctors, lawyers and architects, and for those who have to travel often because of negotiations with the EU.
According to Miscevic, visa relaxations are envisaged for all those who take part in city twinning programmes, exchange programmes, sports, arts and cultural events and competitions, or who travel to EU countries for medical reasons and visits to their families and religious sites.
Miscevic said that the right to visa relaxations also refers to journalists, NGO employees, civil society activists, members of religious communities and a number of other categories.
Speaking about the single readmission agreement, she explained that it will regulate the issue of the return of Serbian citizens living illegally in EU countries and citizens from third countries who entered the EU directly from Serbia.
She said that after they are initialled, the plan is to sign these agreements, which will most likely occur in September so they could come into force on January 1 next year.
According to Miscevic, visa relaxations will then be applied to all listed categories and the readmission will change from a bilateral one to becoming a single agreement with EU member states.
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