OREANDA-NEWS. The European Commission intends to cancel the simplified regime for obtaining Schengen visas for Belarusian officials. The decision is connected with «the attempts of the Belarusian regime to destabilize the EU and it's member countries by encouraging illegal migration for political reasons», the Brussels department said on Wednesday, September 29.

The changes may concern «representatives of official delegations of Belarus, members of national and regional governments and parliaments, Constitutional and Supreme Courts who travel to the EU for official purposes». For ordinary citizens of Belarus, the visa rules simplified in July 2020 will continue to apply, providing for preferential visa fees and a simplified procedure, it is indicated further.

Brussels justified it's intention to cancel the preferential visa regime for Belarusian officials with «ongoing repressions against the Belarusian people» and the unilateral decision of the authorities in Minsk to withdraw from their obligations to receive migrants illegally crossing the EU borders from Belarus. These facts, as well as the direction of flows of illegal immigrants to the EU undermine the visa agreement, the statement says.

According to the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson, the ruler of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko encourages illegal entry into the EU of foreign citizens who pay about 10 thousand euros in the hope of being in Europe. The European Commission's proposal must be approved by the European Council.