Council Decision (EU) 2016/1741 of 20 September 2016 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Palau on the short--stay visa waiver

What it is

to conclude the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Palau on the short-stay visa waiver. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. BACKGROUND: Regulation (EU) No 509/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council amended Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the Member States and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement. The Regulation was adopted on 20 May 2014 and entered into force on 9 June 2014. In July 2014, the Commission presented a Recommendation to the Council to authorise it to start negotiations on visa waiver agreements with each of the following 17 countries : Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu. On 9 October 2014, the Council addressed negotiating directives to the Commission PURPOSE: to conclude, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Palau on the short--stay visa waiver. BACKGROUND: the Commission has negotiated on behalf of the European Union an agreement with the Republic of Palau on the short-stay visa waiver. The Agreement and the Protocol were signed in accordance with a Council Decision and apply on a provisional basis. CONTENT: the draft Council decision aims to approve the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Palau on the short-stay visa waiver on behalf of the Union. The Agreement provides for visa-free travel for the citizens of the European Union and for the citizens of Palau when travelling to the territory of the other Contracting Party for a maximum period of 90 days in any 180-day period. Scope: the visa waiver covers all categories of persons (ordinary, diplomatic, service/official and special passport holders) travelling for all kinds of purposes, except for the purpose of carrying out a paid activity. The provisions of the Agreement do not apply to the United Kingdom or to Ireland . The Agreement sets up a Joint Committee of experts for the management of the Agreement. The Union is to be represented within that Joint Committee by the Commission, which should be assisted by the representatives of the Member States. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted the report by Mariya GABRIEL (EPP, BG) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Palau on the short-stay visa waiver. The committee recommended that the European Parliament should give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement. To recall, the Agreement signed on 7 December 2015 provides for visa-free travel for the citizens of the European Union and for the citizens of Palau when travelling to the territory of the other Contracting Party for a maximum period of 90 days in any 180-day period . The visa waiver covers all categories of persons…

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