MUD 345/3
Visas for EC Countries
(story in Tin Tin)
Press Line-to-Take
64
not
quite! Edipperence
- not Дефект пол
yet, anyway.
We have learnt that some EC countries are
planning to form a "common travel area". Our understanding is that, within this area, there would be no border check on cross-border travellers. Therefore, if a person is allowed to enter one of these states, he is free to travel to the other states without being required to undergo immigration checks. Thus a person would only require one visa to travel to all these countries.
This plan is not yet finalised, and in any case would only apply, at least initially, to countries who have signed the "Schengen Agreement i.e. not the UK, Eire and Denmark. Furthermore many of these countries, especially the two major ones, France and Germany, already require visas from many places.
The move apparently affects many other countries, and is not related in any way to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, we are not happy with it. Therefore the UK and the Hong Kong governments have approached the other EC Countries concerned with a view to trying to ensure that impacts Hong Kong passport holders positively rather than negatively i.e. that they continue to enjoy the visa-free facilities presently offered by some of these countries (Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Thaly and Greece) and to request those (Portugal, France and Germany) presently requiring visas to lift such a requirement. If possible this would be a much more satisfactory way of equalising treatment in our view.
TOTAL P.02
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.