European Commission will not reinstate visas for ALbanians

The European Commission has decided to reject a request submitted by the Dutch government for the reintroduction of the visa regime for Albania. Concerned about the growing criminal activities of Albanian nationals in this country, the government of the Netherlands made a request to the European Commission to reinstate the visa regime for Albanians in a bid to stop criminals from moving freely in the Schengen countries.

However, according to the European Commission's spokesperson, the circumstances which would enable such decision are not appropriate.

"Following a careful assessment of the content of the notification received by the Netherlands and based on available information and relevant data, the Commission considers that in the current situation the circumstances to promote the free movement’s suspension mechanism are not met.

The Commission will continue to closely monitor compliance with visa liberalization standards for Albania and other countries benefiting from visa-free travel," the EC spokesman said. /E.I/