European Commission changed the rules for issuing short-stay visas, an amendment that will hinder the travel of many Africans to Europe.
Anyone traveling from Africa to the European Union for a short stay usually needs a so-called Schengen visa. A document valid in 26 European countries for a maximum of three months. In 2019, member countries of the European Union (EU) issued more than 15 million of these visas, in response to almost 17 million applications. The common visa adopted by the EU ten years ago regulates who obtains the document and how the application process works.
But now, everything has changed. “We had to update the rules to make them more flexible, but at the same time, continue to guarantee a high level of security,” EU spokesman Adalbert Jahnz told DW.
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