EU possibly to cancel visa-free travel for Israelis
(MENAFN) The European Union may suspend Israel’s visa-free access to the Schengen zone under newly revised rules approved by EU lawmakers, Euronews reported on Wednesday. The development comes in the wake of Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran, which sparked retaliatory missile attacks.
The updated regulations expand the criteria for suspending visa-free travel to include breaches of the UN Charter, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and defiance of rulings from international courts. According to sources within the European Parliament, Israel is seen as one of the countries most vulnerable to these changes, particularly in light of recent allegations of war crimes in Gaza raised by the United Nations.
Slovenian MEP Matjaz Nemec, who led the legislation, stated that the reform is intended to uphold core EU values. “This tool helps us deliver the values that have built our community,” he told Euronews, adding that the measure isn’t aimed at any specific nation. However, several parliamentary groups are reportedly focused on Israel as a priority case.
Currently, nationals from 61 countries — including Israel, the UK, Australia, and Japan — enjoy visa-free entry to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days. So far, the EU has only suspended this privilege once, in the case of Vanuatu, over concerns about its citizenship-by-investment program.
Under the new mechanism, the European Commission can enact a one-year visa suspension via an implementing act, requiring only support from EU member states and susceptible to being blocked by a qualified majority. Any renewal would require a delegated act, which can be overturned by either the European Council or Parliament. A suspension can be initiated by the Commission or proposed by any member state.
The reform must still be formally adopted by both the European Parliament and the Council before it becomes law.
The move follows intense global criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and its recent strikes on Iran. Russia condemned the Israeli attacks as unlawful and warned they could provoke a nuclear disaster. Israel claimed it acted to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb, a claim Iran has denied, countering with its own military response.
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