Brussels, 23 July 2024
Today, the Commission adopts its fifth assessment report to the Council on third countries’ level of readmission cooperation under Article 25a of the Visa Code. Together with the report, the Commission is presenting a proposal for visa measures with Somalia to foster readmission cooperation. The Commission will transmit its report and proposal to the Council, where Member States will decide on the next steps. In parallel, the Commission will continue to intensify engagement with Somalia to improve this cooperation.
Visa measures were previously proposed under Article 25a by the Commission in relation to Ethiopia, The Gambia, Senegal, Bangladesh and Iraq. The Council adopted the proposal on Ethiopia in April 2024. Regarding The Gambia, an increase in the visa fee was proposed in 2022 due to insufficient cooperation. In view of the progress achieved on return flights and operations by The Gambia, and based on the Commission proposal of September 2023, the increased visa fee was revoked in April 2024. The first set of measures, previously adopted in 2021, remains in place for The Gambia. The proposals for Bangladesh, Iraq, and Senegal remain with the Council, with the objective of further increasing readmission cooperation.
Under the revised Visa Code, the Commission annually assesses readmission cooperation with non-EU countries, reports to the Council and actively engages in dialogue to improve readmission cooperation with partners. Eventual Commission proposals to the Council on visa measures consider the Union’s overall relations with the countries concerned. The Commission and the EEAS will continue their active engagement with these partners to improve cooperation on readmission.