EU Ministers approve controversial visa fee hike
EU justice and interior ministers on Thursday agreed to nearly double travel fees for non-EU citizens to pay for increased security measures. Critics say the move discriminates against poor people and hurts business.
Meeting in Luxembourg, ministers approved a plan to raise fees from 35 euros ($43) to 60 euros for transit and stays of up to three months. The fees will take effect in 2007 and will apply to visitors to all EU countries except Britain, Ireland and Denmark, who are not part of the so-called Schengen agreement and set their own fees.
While Greece, Hungary and Sweden opposed the hike, France had suggested it in order to pay for additional security measures such as storing fingerprints and photographs in a digital database.
“We do want to have biometric visa and they will cost a bit more,” said EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner France Frattini, adding that children who are less than six years old, students, teachers and researchers would not have to pay the new fee.
Read full article: Deutsche Welle, 27 April 2006
