Germany, France Want Right to Suspend Visa-Free Travel in EU

The German and French governments are in talks over working out a norm to enable some EU countries to suspend visa-free travel, Die Welt reported.

The main reason is deepening concerns that when a visa-free regime is imposed with Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo the situation with security in Europe would aggravate, according to the article.

Now, on the pretext of Georgia and Ukraine EU countries may have the right to suspend at their own discretion visa-free travel with their fellow members.

The amendment has been proposed to the European Commission by Paris and Berlin.

Recently, it was reported that Brussels delayed the decision on the liberalization of the visa regime with Georgia. The move was reportedly made to growing concerns over the European migrant crisis.

The German opposition has forced the EU justice and interior ministers to back plans to make it easier and faster to suspend visa-free travel with any third country amid deepening public concern about the scale of immigration into the 28-nation bloc.

Recently, German Interior Ministry Thomas de Maiziere voiced concern over the growing number of crimes committed in the country by migrant gangs.
Criminal gangs from Georgia are of special concern to German law enforcement and politicians who note that organized crime has become a very serious problem in the former Soviet republic.