Schengen Area
Greece still has 'some deficiencies' in border management, EC says
Even though Greece has improved its record considerably since first being criticized by Brussels, there are still "some deficiencies" in its border management, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said on Monday.
Jihadis 'Traveling on Fake Passports from Bulgaria'
A number of Bulgarian-made fake passports with Schengen visas were found in the belongings of jihadist fighters that had been operating in Southern Italy, a local daily says.
A jihadist cell made up mostly of Iraqis and Iranians intended on using the documents to cross into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, Sole 24 ore reports citing Italian anti-terror officials.
Last two days for historic Turkey-EU visa accord
The forthcoming two days mark a crucial 48 hours for Turkey to come one step closer to having its citizens granted visa-free travel inside the European Union, as part of the Turkey-EU migrant deal reached to curb the flow of migrants into the bloc.
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Germany to ask European Commission to allow extension of border controls
Germany will ask the European Commission to allow an extension of temporary border controls within the Schengen zone of passport-free travel beyond mid-May, Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said on Saturday.
Die Welt: Six EU States Urge Extension of Schengen Internal Border Controls
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden have proposed to the European Commission to extend temporary controls at the internal borders of the Schengen Area to tackle migration flows more efficiently, Die Welt reported on Saturday.
Franco-German call for easier suspension of visa-free travel stirs controversy
A joint attempt by France and Germany to build a so-called "emergency brake" for future visa-free travel agreements with non-EU countries such as Turkey has led to debate as the attempt has been revealed only days before the EU's executive arm is to decide on May 4 whether to recommend that member states approve the visa waiver scheme by the end of June.
New biometric passports due June 1
The distribution of new biometric passports containing chips, which are necessary to travel to Schengen countries, will start on June 1, with the government working on the necessary legal regulations.
The new passports are among the 72 criteria required by the body for granting visa exemption to Turkish citizens in light of a Turkey-EU migrant deal signed on March 20.
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Russian tour operator ‘Pegasus’ cancels trips to Greece due to visa issues
Russian tour operator ‘Pegasus’ cancelled its flights from three Russian airports due to visa problems. The company’s managing director, Anna Podgornaya, explained to local media that even though demand for Greek destinations is high, even ‘exceptional’, as she said, there were visa issues due to the Schengen area restrictions.
Turkey visa deal only once 'all criteria met': EU
The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said April 26 that Turkey would only get visa-free travel to the bloc once it has met all the required criteria.
Turkey has demanded its citizens be allowed to enter the European Union's passport free Schengen zone without a visa by June, in exchange for it taking back migrants from Europe.
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Daniel Mitov Discussing Migration, EU-Turkey Deal with EP's Elmar Brok
The migration crisis in Europe and progress in the implementation of the related EU-Turkey deal have been on the agenda of a meeting of Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov with the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok.