Compulsory 14-day quarantine for arrivals from the UK Bulgaria Lifts

The Bulgarian authorities have agreed to lift the mandatory two-week quarantine for arrivals from the United Kingdom, the government of Bulgaria has declared.

Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev urged the Directors of Regional Health Inspectorates to repeal the Quarantine Rules for persons arriving in Bulgaria from the United Kingdom between 2 July and 15 July, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

As of 16 July, Bulgaria has also abolished the 14-day compulsory quarantine and PCR examination provision for individuals arriving from some third countries, such as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Andorra, Monaco and the Vatican City State.

For arrivals from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the Ukraine, the current exemptions may also apply.

Individuals arriving in Bulgaria from the Member States of the European Union (with the exception of Sweden and Portugal), the United Kingdom and the countries of the Schengen Zone are not expected to be screened for coronavirus, nor are they required to go through quarantine.

Arrivals from Sweden and Portugal, as well as from countries not mentioned above, are required to send a document confirming a negative PCR test result not exceeding 72 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria.

Citizens of Northern Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro will be able to pass through Bulgaria in order to return to their countries, according to the latest Bulgarian government announcement.

The rule also extends to third-country nationals and their family members who have a long-term residency permit in any Member State of the European Union, in the United Kingdom or in the Schengen Country.

Earlier this week, Ekaterina Zaharieva, Bulgaria's foreign minister, stated that the EU must fight together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, but must not allow its internal borders to be closed again during an official visit to Prague/Prague.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Health agreed last month to put an end to the compulsory quarantine for all persons coming from Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Andorra, Monaco and the Vatican City State in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian government lifted the entry ban on citizens of the countries of the European Union and the Schengen Region, including Andorra, San Marino and the Vatican City, on 22 May. As part of the country's attempts to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic, the entry ban was enforced.

Eurostat: Ukrainians constitute a quarter of the first holders of residency permits in the EU-27 in 2019

The 27 Member States of the European Union granted three million first residence permits in 2019, the most recent Eurostat report revealed.

According to data released by the European Statistical Office, more than a quarter of the total number of residence permits issued last year is obtained by residents of Ukraine with a total of 757 000 permits, or 25,6% of the total number of first residence permits granted in the EU-27.

The countries listed below are the countries whose citizens have earned most of the first EU-27 residency permits:

• Morocco-133,000, or 4.5%
• India-131,000, or 4.4%,
• China (Hong Kong included)-110,000, 3.7 per cent
• Brazil-101,000, or 3.4%,
• Syria, Russia, Turkey, the United States of America and Belarus, each with fewer than 100,000 authorized permits,

First residence permits issued to these 10 countries, including Ukraine, account for 54.9% of all first residence permits issued in 2019 by the EU-27 governments.

Eurostat's study also points out that Ukraine is not only the third country with the largest number of first residence permit recipients, but that it has also undergone rapid growth in this regard, with a rise of 122,000 between 2018 and 2019, an increase of 19.3%.

"For citizens of Brazil (up 22,000) and India (up 12,000), the next highest increases were recorded," the report states.

On the other hand, data show that between 2018 and 2019, the number of first residence permits issued to citizens of Syria and the United States decreased, particularly for citizens of Syria, for whom 76,000 fewer permits were issued in 2019, almost half of which was less than the previous year.

Poland-Ukrainian citizens' key destination

Poland awarded 79.2 per cent of all 2019 residence permits given to Ukrainians in the EU-27. It was also a favorite residence destination for Belarus, as 77.2% of all residence permits issued to residents of Belarus were issued.

According to Eurostat, 660,000 Ukrainians who were issued an EU-27 residence permit in 2019 were granted an employment-related permit, comprising almost nine-tenths (87.2%) of those Ukrainians who were granted such a permit.

"In 2019, for employment-related reasons, Ukrainians were granted the largest number of residence permits in the EU-27 (660,000), of which the vast majority (83.6%) were granted in Poland," the study states, adding that Indians followed with 50,000 permits and Belarusians with 41,000.

At the same time, Ukrainians were the third largest group to acquire family residence permits, with 40,000 first residence permits received, immediately after Moroccans (79,000) and Indians (79000) (41,000).

Factors influencing the EU-27 Third-Country Citizens' Preferred Destination

In order to apply for a high number of residence permits in a specific EU-27 region, Eurostat has developed some of the key factors affecting a specific national community, including the reason why so many Ukrainians move to Poland every year.

These influences are as follows:

• Geographical proximity All national groups that normally travel to neighboring countries collapse here, as follows:
  • A significant number of Ukrainians have applied for residency in Poland
  • A significant number of Moroccans were seeking residence in Spain,
• Historical and linguistic ties-This category includes all national groups that speak or have other historical links with the country to which they are migrating, i.e. the same language as:
  • A significant number of residents from Venezuela, Colombia and Peru sought residency in Spain
  • Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians sought residency in France for a significant number of
  • In Portugal, a significant number of Brazilians, Angolans and Cape Verdeans were finding residence
• Established migration networks-For example, a large number of Turkish people have sought residence in Germany because of the large Turkish community there, national groups joining their already established community in one specific EU-27 country.

EU Commission Calls on Slovenia to Comply With EU Rules on Passenger Name Record Data

The European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion to Slovenia after its authorities failed to communicate the adoption of the EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) Directive on the use of passenger name record data for the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution serious offences.

The reasoned opinion, which is an official request to comply with EU law, has been included in Commission’s regular package of infringement decision, in which the Commission unfolds the legal actions it is set to undertake against Member States that have failed to comply with their obligations under EU law.

Through the December infringement package, the Commission has closed 138 cases after resolving the issues with the Member States concerned without the Commission needing to undertake any further procedures.

However, the case of Slovenia’s failure to fully transpose EU rules on the use of passenger name record data is not among the solved cases, as the Slovenian authorities have failed to comply with the EU directive that sets out the transfer of passenger name record data from airlines to EU countries.

“The processing of passenger name record data is an important tool for fighting terrorism and serious crime, helping to trace suspicious travel patterns and identify potential criminals and terrorists, including those previously unknown to law enforcement authorities,” the EU Commission’s infringement package reads.

The EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) Directive is a key piece of EU security legislation that has been established in a bid of the EU to better identify travelling terrorists and criminals and trace criminal networks. The directive entered into force on May 24, 2016, and the deadline for its implementation by the Member States was on May 25, 2018.

In 2018, through its July infringements package, the Commission had called on 14 Member States to implement the new rules on PNR data, including Slovenia, through a letter of notice sent to each.

Throughout the past few years, the Commission has made efforts to help the Member States develop their national PNR systems by providing expertise and financial aid.

“However, for the benefits of the passenger name record framework to fully materialise, it is crucial that all EU Member States have their systems up and running,” the package asserts.

Now Slovenia has two months to reply to the reasoned opinion. If it fails to do so, then the Commission may decide to refer the matter to the Court of Justice. If the latter decides that Slovenia has breached EU law, the Slovenian national authorities are then o action to comply with the Court judgment.

As of January, the EU could refuse entry to over 2.5 million British

After December 31, more than 2.5 million British people will be barred from entering most European countries if they do not renew their passports.

Although passengers interested in making short tourist trips would not need a visa, many people may be caught out until the transition period in the United Kingdom comes to an end, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com on January 1, 2021.

Currently, people of Britain can travel freely to the European Union and Schengen Zone countries, since their passports are valid until their expiration date.

However, as of 2021, citizens of the United Kingdom will be required by the new legislation to have at least six months left on their passport if they wish to visit countries protected by the European Union or the EEA. It is only Ireland that has no such laws in effect.

Those holding passports with a validity of less than six months or more than ten years will be barred from entering the countries of the EU and the Schengen region.

Five million passports are issued annually by the United Kingdom Passport Office, although the number of renewals or new documents is unknown.

According to some experts, even though Britons acquire valid passports, delays at the border will occur because they would have to queue with nationals from other countries outside the European Union. They would also be expected to show a return ticket and proof to officials that they have ample money during their stay.

It would not be appropriate to have a visa for tourist trips, buying stays would be limited to 90 days, in a six-month span that would cause holiday homeowners problems.

As the Passport Office closed its doors to face-to-face problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the matter took a turn for the worse.

A philosophy professor currently working in Austria, Simon Rippon, reported to the Sunday Times that "it might take eight weeks to renew one of his children's passports."

"A lot of people will be sent home from their flights because they didn't know they needed a passport that would fit the new criteria," he said.

He also listed the Passport Office's text message reminders, with ambiguous wording:' The rules of passport validity will change from January 1, 2021, you will need to renew sooner than expected.'

Previously, the authorities in the United Kingdom have reminded Italian nationals who do not currently reside in Britain or have the right under the Withdrawal Agreement to comply with certain visa application conditions so that they can be able to work or study in the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021 onwards.

The Dutch Immigration Service (IND) has reported that more than 6,100 UK nationals who have received a letter urging them to apply for residence in the Netherlands have not yet replied.

An article published by SchengenVisaInfo.com in October emphasized the changes that would take place at the end of the UK transition period, as well as the validity of post-Brexit passports.

UK Obliges Arrivals to Self-Isolate from Estonia & Latvia

By adding Estonia and Latvia to the list, the United Kingdom has extended the list of individuals obliged to self-isolate for a period of 14 days upon arrival in England.

As of Saturday, November 28, arrivals from the two Baltic states, Estonia and Latvia, have to go into self-isolation upon arrival after both countries have been withdrawn from the travel corridor list of the United Kingdom due to a rise in both cases of Coronavirus.

The decision was announced in a press release by the UK Department for Transport, based on data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England (PHE).

'Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England (PHE) revealed a major improvement in both the degree and pace of reported cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in these destinations, leading to the withdrawal from the existing list of travel corridors by ministers,' the Department of Transport states in the press release.

At the same time, following a reduction in the risk of Coronavirus in these destinations, the following islands and countries were added to the government's travel corridor list, thereby exempting arrivals from quarantine criteria from those territories:

• Samoa
• Kiribati
• Micronesia's Federated Nations
• Tonga
• Vanuatu
• Islands of Solomon
• Bhutan
• Timor East
• In
• Aruba

At the same time, the Chief Medical Officer advised the United Kingdom authorities to lift the travel ban imposed on Denmark on 7 November due to the spread of COVID-19 to mink farms, after the Danish health authorities found COVID-19 to be the most likely extinct mink variant.

However, in an attempt to avoid any possible danger, the United Kingdom has not added Denmark to the travel corridors; thus, all arrivals from Denmark, reaching the United Kingdom directly or indirectly, will remain obliged to self-isolate for 14 days.

The national restrictions implemented at the beginning of the month remain effective; thus, citizens are not currently allowed to go on vacation and those who break the rules are subject to penalties.

All passengers will need to complete a passenger locator form upon arrival in the UK, including those coming from excluded destinations, according to arrivals from outside the country.

Although all travelers coming from countries not included in the travel corridor lists of the United Kingdom will be able to leave self-isolation after five days from December 15, if they test for COVID-19 and result in negative results.

After attracting a lot of criticism from the UK that its 14-day quarantine was one of the most unsuccessful strategies to prevent the spread of the virus by travelers, the new COVID-19 research technique is being implemented.

Cyprus Launches New Entry Restriction Categorization

A updated action plan for the resumption of flights at airports has been accepted by the Government of Cyprus, and four other categories have been replaced by classes currently used to permit international entry into Cyprus.

Earlier on Friday, SchengenVisaInfo.com announced that, as Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos has revealed, internationals who wish to join Cyprus from 1 March 2021 will be able to do so without the need to present a negative result of the PCR test if they have been vaccinated against the disease.

"The amended Action Plan is expected to further boost airline companies' interest in carrying out additional flights to Cyprus, improving connectivity and boosting passenger traffic," said the Minister.

Category A will be replaced by the 'green category,' according to the new Cyprus administration. After arriving in Cyprus, countries included in this community would not be expected to follow the testing protocol or quarantine steps.

The "orange category" will replace Category B, which is currently in use. A negative result of the Coronavirus test, not older than 72 hours, will be needed by citizens of countries mentioned in this group.

As for category C, the "red category" will replace it. Citizens of countries belonging to that group will be allowed to send two negative PCR test results. People of these countries would not, however, be forced to obey the laws of quarantine.

The last category, also known as the "special permit category," is the "grey" one. Travellers from any country included in this community arriving in Cyprus will have to present a negative Coronavirus test result and complete the Cyprus Ministry of Health quarantine criteria.

The countries will be classified on the basis of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's weekly report assessment (ECDC).

The third-country countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the European Economic Countries, Switzerland, the European Council, along with Ukraine, Russia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Belarus, will be divided into green, orange and red classes.

As far as the countries not listed above are concerned, they will be included in the Gray group, while travelers from those countries will be allowed to obtain a special permit to enter Cyprus.

Increasing number of Belarusians applying to EU+ countries for asylum

With the demonstrations and marches in Belarus going on since August, when Alexander Lukashenko won the country's sixth term as president with 80% of the votes, the number of Belarusians in the EU+ countries calling for international security has increased.

The data collected and disclosed by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) indicates that while the number of Belarusians applying for EU+ asylum remains low relative to other national groups, the number of asylum seekers has risen compared to previous years.

The EASO states in its press release that while the total number of asylum applicants in the EU+ for all nationalities increased by 7% in September compared to the previous month, Belarusians applied for international security in the EU+ in September more than in any other month at least since 2008.

"Although this nationality registered a notable increase in first-time applications in September (almost twice as many as in August), the number remains very low for 186 first-time applications and is not necessarily indicative of a trend that is developing," the press release states.

It also points out that the first higher number of asylum applications submitted by Belarusians occurred in August, the same month in which elections were held and demonstrations began, when 94 first-time applications by Belarusian nationals were received by the EU+ asylum offices.

The total number of requests received in 2019 by the same national community was 71.

On the other hand, the EASO reports that asylum patterns continue to be influenced by the COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the Member States, while the number of applications increased by 7 per cent in September compared to August.

Although the number of applications filed in September (42,800) has risen to July levels, it remains 35% lower than the number of applications filed in January of this year (65,700), prior to the outbreak of the pandemic in Europe.

The total number of applications received this year by Member States' asylum offices is 337,830, which is also 35% lower than in the same timeframe last year when 516,555 applications were received.

Given the decline in the number of applications compared to last year the major national applicant groups remain the same:

• Syrian People
• Afghani
• Colombian people
• Venezuelan People
• The

Back in October, SchengenVisaInfo.com announced that there had been an increase in the number of Belarusians seeking foreign protection in Poland, with a total of 152 applications received by Polish asylum offices between January and the end of September 2020.

Belarusian people have been protesting for almost four months now, alleging that President Lukashenko rigged the presidential election in order to lead the country to another term. Lukashenko, who has been ruling the country for 25 years now, is also called the last dictator of Europe."

Sweden extends advice to Estonia, Ireland & Latvia against non-essential trips

It is strongly recommended that Swedish citizens and residents avoid traveling to Estonia, Latvia and Ireland for reasons that are not absolutely appropriate until at least 16 December, after the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated that the epidemiological situation remains risky for all three of them.

The MFA has agreed to extend to all three EU members the advice against non-essential travel, which was due to expire today, 2 December.

'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assesses that no improvements have taken place in these countries since the last study, which would warrant the lifting of advice against non-essential travel,' the MFA states in a press release.

Advice on travel to other member states of the EU and Schengen remains unchanged. Swedes are therefore still not encouraged to fly to: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UK and Vatican City.

As of 2 December, according to statistics from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the number of cases reported so far in these countries is as follows:

• Ireland-72,798 instances (population: 4,937,786)
• Latvia - 17,687 instances (population: 1,886,198)
• Estonia—12, 497 (population: 1,326,535)

In Sweden, the number of cases reported is 260,758 (population: 10,343,403), with a total of 6,972 fatalities.

Back in mid-March this year, Sweden launched advice against non-essential travel to all countries and has steadily expanded and extended it ever since. Countries with an improved epidemiological condition have been excluded from the list, time after time.

According to a decision taken on 9 November by the same ministry, the measure will be effective until the end of January 2021, in accordance with the entry ban on third-country citizens.

Lithuania adds to its list of high-risk countries Malta, Slovakia & Slovenia, excludes Wales

The Government of Lithuania has added Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia to its list of COVID-19 high-risk countries and has withdrawn Wales from the same list, as announced by the Ministry of Health of Lithuania after assessing the current coronavirus situation.

According to the ministry's report, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports will take effect from today, 30 November, on the decision.

Lithuania has also divided nations into groups, following the lead of a large number of European countries. Depending on the COVID-19 case, the states are classified in green, yellow, red and grey.

'When Lithuania joins the red zone, only certain countries and regions in the grey zone are considered to be affected: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, as well as all third countries,' reads the Ministry's paper.

Internationals wishing to enter Lithuania from countries deemed to be deeply infected by the virus will upon their arrival in the region, be required to obey the quarantine or coronavirus test laws.

The Grey List of Lithuania includes countries with 300 or less tests per 100,000 patients over a span of seven days, or countries which do not provide data to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

"However, even with a negative test result, it is recommended that the number of contacts should be limited and gathering places should not be visited for 10 days after returning or arriving in Lithuania," the statement reveals.

Individuals arriving or transiting via each of these countries must remain isolated for 10 days, as they are deemed to have been in contact.

Upon arrival in Lithuania, the Coronavirus test may be performed; however, people will be expected to follow the quarantine procedure before the negative results of the COVID-19 test are obtained.

Earlier this month, all of Lithuania was marked in red by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, calling it a high-risk country.

Up to this point, over 61,300 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in Lithuania, while 506 have died. The nation faces 46,608 active coronavirus disease cases, while 14,211 have been recovered to date.

Quinquennial assessment study of the Schengen Region Identifies persistent shortcomings in Member States

The Commission of the European Union has prepared a five-year report on the operation of the Schengen assessment and monitoring process, consisting of the results of the evaluations carried out within the Schengen Region Member States over the last five years.

The report was released on Monday, 30 November, in advance of the Schengen Conference between the Members of the European Parliament and the Ministers of Home Affairs, which will bring together the Ministries of the Interior and the Border Police to facilitate meaningful cooperation.

According to the study the results of more than 200 surveys carried out between 2015 and 2019 indicate that, overall, the Schengen States are enforcing the Schengen rules adequately, with significant shortcomings found only in a few countries and correctly resolved most of the time.

"With the exception of data protection and police cooperation, 29 unannounced visits and 8 revisits were carried out for 15 countries in all the main policy fields," the study explains.

Based on these visits, the Commission adopted 198 assessment reports and the Council addressed over 4,500 recommendations to Member States. However only 45 assessments have been completed, although other assessment findings and recommendations have yet to be implemented.

The report found that there are some recurring weaknesses in the Member States' application of the Schengen Acquis, including divergent procedures, which the Commission claims have an effect on the proper functioning of the Schengen region.

'Evaluations have required multiple recurrent deficiencies to be detected and resolved,' notes the paper, explaining that a number of Member States have taken a constructive approach towards enhancing the deficiencies identified during the evaluations.

The Commission reports that as the revisits have shown, several Member States have taken immediate remedial steps even before the Council adopted its recommendations.

The primary results per policy area are as follows:

Management of the External Border

The evaluation report covers several elements of Management of the External Border, which are:

• Sea and airport external border checks and land border crossing points
• Surveillance of external frontiers
• Global policies,
• The European Integrated Border Control Principles
• Analysis of Threats
• Cooperation between entities and globally
• Mechanism for national quality control
• Management of the External Border capacities (personnel and equipment)
• Management of the External Border infrastructure

The 42 assessments carried out in this respect indicate that the Member States are successfully enforcing, to a large extent, the Schengen Borders Code and are managing external borders in accordance with it.

And despite that progress has also been made to harmonise Member States’ strategic approaches towards Management of the External Border, serious deficiencies have been found in four member states – in Greece, Spain, Sweden and Iceland. All four have worked in this direction since the evaluations took place.

"No Member State has serious deficiencies in this area today, but there are still specific challenges in a few countries that need to be addressed promptly," the study highlights.

It also notices that Member States do not yet have a uniform degree of control at the external borders of the EU and on a variety of issues in this regard, practice various approaches.

'Strategic preparation for integrated border management is not adequate in different Member States, resulting in decreased inter-institutional cooperation, duplication of competences between different external border authorities and allocation of fragmented resources,' notes the paper, adding that these deficiencies could reduce operational efficiency and capacity to respond.

Overall, the report concludes that the efficiency of external border controls is strong, although it still differs between member states.

Popular policy on Visas

Another policy field evaluated in the report is also the Popular policy on Visas of the Schengen area, which is deeply linked to Management of the External Border.

The Commission has carried out 29 visa-related assessments in the Member States over a five-year period, and significant deficiencies have been found only in two Member States, during the 2018 Finland assessment and the 2019 Netherlands unannounced assessment.

In addition, despite the shared regulatory structure, the visa issuance practices of the Member States are still diverging in many aspects. As the Commission concludes in its report, consular personnel also often see Schengen visas as 'national' visas.

It also finds that the image of Schengen as a popular travel area is undermined by competition between States in 'attractive markets' and 'visa-shopping'-which is the practice of applicants finding consulates that grant visas more quickly and in shorter periods than others.

The report also discusses other shortcomings, such as the disparity in Member States' practices in assessing the validity of visas and the documentation needed for the application, notwithstanding the list of documents accepted by the Commission.

"In all cases, especially in the case of centralized decision-making, the examination of applications has not been found to be sufficiently thorough," the report concludes.

It also highlights that there are shortages of personnel and a lack of staff preparation in many consulates, contributing to the inability of these consulates to meet the deadlines set out in the Visa Code.

Other reported concerns are as follows:

• External service providers' monitoring is not always satisfactory.
• External service suppliers' operations often comply with legal requirements.
• Even if applicants have issued fingerprints in the previous five years, a systematic selection of fingerprints
• Incomplete or obsolete data made available to the public on terms and conditions
• Inadequate standard information is often entered into the Visa Information System,
• The absence of sufficient VIS IT preparation, including minimal knowledge of certain device functionalities,

Nevertheless the study concludes that in the last five years, the majority of vulnerabilities have been reported and effectively resolved.

Schengen Information System: The

Significant shortcomings have also been found by the Commission in implementing the SIS, which is a crucial system for the abolition of internal border controls, as it provides critical support in the Schengen region for security policy.

According to 32 surveys carried out in recent years, shortcomings have been reported in four Member States that have been actively involved in addressing them.

'Certain recurring shortcomings have occurred during the assessments, such as the lack of technological resources or necessary country-level procedures for uploading fingerprints and photographs to SIS alerts, even when they are available,' notes the study.

It also points out that some of the features implemented in 2013 by SIS II relate to another frequent finding, in particular that not all information found in the SIS warnings is shown to end-users.

Germany adds France, Malta, the Netherlands & Slovakia to its list of High-Risk Areas & Sections of 11 Other Countries in COVID-19

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs revised, on the advice of the Robert Koch Institute, its list of high-risk regions from 15 EU and Schengen Area Member States, including the whole of Malta, the Netherlands and continental France, to be added to its regions.

The RKI, the German federal government department and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention, has recommended that the Federal MFA designate the following as high-risk areas and update the list on a weekly basis.

• The Ostrobothnia region in Finland
• All of continental France and the overseas territories of French Martinique
• Ireland's Mid-West, South-West, Mid-East West and Midlands areas
• The Campania and Liguria regions in Italy
• Grad (city) The counties of Zagreb and Me-imurska in Croatia
• The whole nation of Malta
• The whole land of the Netherlands
• Kujawsko-pomorskie, Małopolskie, Podlaski, Pomorskie and Świętokrzyskie districts of Poland
• The area of Norte in Portugal
• Sweden's provinces of Jämtland, Örebro, Stockholm and Uppsala
• Switzerland's cantons of Friborg, Jura, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Uri, Zurich and Zug
• The whole nation of Slovakia
• The Jugovzhodna Slovenija, Pomurska and Podravska regions in Slovenia
• Veszprém region/county in Hungary
• The UK parts of the East Midlands and West Midlands

According to the RKI, a joint review and decision by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs is the basis of the designation as a risk area.

'There may be a requirement to quarantine persons entering the Federal Republic of Germany who have been in a danger area at any time during the last 14 days prior to entry, in compliance with the respective quarantine regulations of the responsible federal states,' the RKI notes in a press release.

The Agency also points out that the evaluation is mainly focused on the number of infections and the type of outbreak, the capacity to be tested and the tests per inhabitant, as well as the steps taken in the States to determine the rate of infection in each area.

• Update on Germany's High-Risk Areas 7 October 7
• Update of 30 September for Germany on High Risk Areas

ETC: To save millions of livelihoods depending on the tourism sector, we must organize

Luis Araujo, President of the European Tourism Conference, pointed out in his recent Op-Ed that the European Union must now function in a concerted manner in order to save the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the tourism sector and capitalize on this opportunity to reinvent tourism in Europe.

His hopes of saving the tourism sector were boosted after announcing that a virtual conference for the European Tourism Convention will take place next week which will bring together nearly all of Europe's tourism and travel stakeholders.

"Araujo pointed out It is THE chance to capitalize on this momentum, talk with one voice and ensure that our main messages are understood, embraced by the industry,

In his Op-Ed, President Araujo cites data from the World Tourism Organisation, which reveals that during the first half of 2020, the number of foreign tourists trying to enter Europe decreased by 66 per cent compared to the same time last year.

It also draws on data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which estimated that 29.5 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector will be at risk in European countries, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

According to him in order to help the tourism sector get out of the critical situation in which it currently exists, there are three key issues that will need to be addressed.

The leader of the European Tourism Convention emphasized that the unharmonized approach to travel measures implemented in the war against the COVID-19 pandemic was his first concern.

"Quarantines are disruptive, unhelpful and should be replaced urgently and collectively by cost-effective, comprehensive measures such as departure testing based on an agreed EU testing protocol and coordinated tracing systems," he stressed.

According to him, two other important items that need to be addressed are the implementation of the common strategy of the Member States of the European Union to help the tourism sector recover from the harm caused by the coronavirus and the reinvention of tomorrow's tourism industry.

In September, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a set of guidelines prepared to help European businesses reopen their doors to their customers in a safe way.

In September, members of the Task Force of the European Parliament reminded the Commission of the European Union to find a plan that could help tourism recover from the financial crisis.

Nor has the European Tourism Manifesto coalition remained oblivious to the problems facing the European tourism market. The coalition urged the Member States of the European Union to achieve reciprocal cooperation regarding the travel restrictions imposed and to ensure prompt implementation.

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31% fewer claims for asylum in EU+ countries compared to 2019.

According to the latest European Asylum Support Office (EASO) survey, over 40,000 foreigners filed asylum applications in European Union countries during August, marking a marginal decrease compared to July (around 43,000 applications) and a substantial decline of 40 percent compared to January (65,692 applications).

A total of 295,075 applications have been lodged in the countries of the European Union since the beginning of this year. However these figures mark a 31 percent decrease compared with the same time last year. The decline in the number of asylum applicants represents the effect of the current situation with respect to Coronavirus, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

According to the EASO survey, people from Syria (5,394-13% of total) and Afghans (3,800-10% of total) continue to make the largest number of applications, followed by citizens of Venezuela (3,600-9% of total) and Colombia (3,300-7% of total).

Nationals from Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Iraq and Nigeria have also reported a big increase in the number of applications. In terms of foreign security in the European Union, the number of Peruvians and Colombians has also risen compared to July levels.

As for the responses regarding the field applications, 26 per cent of applicants obtained a positive decision, during August, compared to July, when only 23 per cent of applicants earned international security. The rate of acknowledgment is 31 per cent, from January to August 2020.

Despite the challenges and due to the new working arrangements in place, EU+ asylum authorities have been able to issue more first-instance decisions (over 43 200 in August) than applications have been submitted, which means that the backlog is being reduced even in these difficult times," reads the statement."

Amount of Asylum Applicants in previous months

According to EASO, in June, in the countries of the European Union, the number of people who applied for asylum was 31,500.

"The numbers show that, compared to the months immediately before the Coronavirus outbreak, about half as many applications for international protection were lodged," the study stressed.

As for May the number of asylum applicants decreased by 84 per cent, compared with the pre-pandemic situation.

The EASO report highlighted that 10,200 applications were submitted in May, showing a small increase compared to April, but the decrease was deemed drastic compared to the level of January 2020.

In April, only 8,730 people applied for international security in the EU+ area, which is the lowest number of applications for asylum since at least 2008. The figure showed an 87 per cent decrease compared to January and February, EASO revealed.

The key factors that caused the decline in the number of asylum applications filed in Europe were travel restrictions and entry bans.

"In spite of the emergency measures, there were still nearly ten times as many asylum claims as illegal border crossings (900) detected in the EU+ in April. The discrepancy suggests that certain countries have continued to lodge applications despite the temporary suspension of some asylum operations in several EU+ countries,' the Special Report of the European Asylum Support Office reads.

In March, 34,737 people applied for asylum in countries of the European Union, a drop of 43 percent compared to February.

Compared to the statistics released in 2019, the number of people seeking foreign security in Europe had begun to rise before the coronavirus pandemic.

EASO previously announced that 65,300 applications were submitted in January 2020, while during February there were 61,100 applications for asylum in European countries.

Foreign security in European Union+ countries has risen by 11% to 738,425 over the course of 2019. According to the statistics released by the European Asylum Support Office, a total increase of 16 per cent was also reported during the first two months of 2020, compared to the same period one year earlier.

While the situation of the coronavirus pandemic led to an 87 percent decrease in the number of applications submitted, EASO announced back then that it planned to restart the growing trend.

EU Commission Refuses Proposal for Parliament to Enforce Visas on US Tourists

A offer by the European Parliament to the EU Commission to impose visas as a reciprocity measure on tourists from the United States was denied by the Commission.

Last Friday, 23 October, the Commission dismissed the Parliament's idea of imposing visas on travelers carrying U.S. passports in order to compel the United States to abolish visa requirements for the residents of the four members of the European Union, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia and Romania.

The Commission called the proposal counterproductive, while a spokesperson for the Commission said that such a move "would inevitably lead the United States to impose visa requirements on all EU citizens."

It also noted that while the four EU countries had made progress in talks with the US in order to become part of the US Visa Waiver Program, none of them had ever requested the Commission to take such a measure, as suggested by the Parliament, to speed up the process.

"None of them have requested a temporary suspension of visa-free travel for US citizens by the Commission, and they all agree to continue this dialogue," said the Speaker.

At a meeting of the European Parliament on 22 October, several MEPs stressed that citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania still need a visa to access the United States for tourism and business purposes, while holders of a US passport are free to fly without a visa in Europe.

A total of 376 MEPs supported the request to impose visas on US travelers, noting that the EU is two years late in taking the required steps, so that its citizens are not discriminated against in any way.

In a press release released on the same day the EU Parliament specified that EU legislation foresees that the EU Commission must within two years of receipt of the formal notification of the non-reciprocity situation, accept a legislative act enforcing the requirement to obtain visas for citizens of any third country which does not revoke the visa requirements.

While all four countries are in talks with the US to become part of its Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of the countries covered by the Visa Waiver Program to enter the US visa-free territory, US Secretary Mike Pompeo said in early October that Croatian citizens would soon be able to travel to the US visa-free territory, following a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Ministeovo.

Secretary Pompeo said during the meeting that he was convinced that Croatia would soon be able to satisfy the requirements for joining the Visa Waiver Program and that Croatians would be able to fly to the United States without a tourist visa or business trip.

Iceland to have free COVID-19 tests for travellers arriving

The Ministry of Health of Iceland has announced that from December 1 to January 31, temporary tests for arriving travelers will be provided free of charge.

According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the change was taken in an attempt by the authorities to start replacing quarantine rules with testing so that more internationals could access the country.

The Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland, ⁇ órólfur Guðnason, expressed his concerns about the increasing number of new cases of infections recently reported in Iceland and announced the proposal.

There have been several incidents of skepticism of the presence of new pathogens in Iceland involving visitors who expect to spend just a short time in Iceland. It was suggested that all individuals entering the country be forced to test at the border, unless medical considerations rule this out, or that the border testing fee be lowered,' reads the Government of Iceland report.

Earlier this month, the Icelandic authorities announced that a precondition for economic recovery will be to adjust the arrangements for the country's border screening process over the next year, thus helping free movement and allowing a greater number of internationals to enter the country.

The Icelandic working group of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs reached such a conclusion when analyzing the current situation of Coronavirus.

The group stressed that more visitors are expected to visit the country in order to help the economic sector recover from the damage caused by the deadly virus, so the screening arrangements must be changed.

There are several ways of promoting travel between Iceland and other countries, according to the organization, without losing the social benefits of successful disease control.

Because of the rise in the number of COVID-19 infections, the authorities in Iceland have previously declared that the double screening process will be extended until December, unless the current situation begins to ease.

A total of 5,226 cases of infection have been reported in Iceland up to this point, while 25 people have lost their lives due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

In Iceland, more than 4,900 people have recovered from the deadly virus, although there are 267 active cases to date.

Sweden extends anti-travel advice to Estonia, Ireland & Latvia until 2 December

The Swedish authorities have agreed to extend the travel advisory period to Estonia, Ireland and Latvia for a further two weeks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a press release on 18 November.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today agreed to extend until 2 December the council against non-essential travel to Estonia, Ireland and Latvia," the press release reads."

It further states that the decision was taken after the reassessment of the situation in those countries by the MFA and concluded that there had been no change in the epidemiological situation in the territories of those countries, which would lead to the withdrawal of advice.

The data shows that the number of cases of coronavirus remains high in Estonia, Ireland and Latvia, but also in Sweden.

According to data obtained and released on Wednesday, 18 November, by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the number of cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic in these countries is as follows:

• Sweden-192,439 instances ( population: 10,343,403 )
• Ireland-68,686 instances ( population: 4,937,786 )
• Latvia - 10,914 instances ( population: 1,886,198 )
• Estonia - 8,033 instances ( population: 1,326,535 )

Due to the high rates of new and active cases, the weekly ECDC maps released in support of the Council Recommendation on a common approach to restrictions on free movement in response to the coronavirus pandemic are highlighted in red for all four countries.

Sweden is currently urging its citizens to refrain from undertaking any non-essential trip to the following countries located in Europe in previous decisions: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Slovenia and Romania

The advice against non-essential travel to all countries was first released by the Ministry on March 14, 2020. The advice has since been expanded, with the Ministry including and exempting countries from the list in accordance with their epidemiological situation and the restrictions on entry for Swedes in those countries.

On 9 November, the same ministry extended to all countries outside the EU/EEA/Schengen region and the United Kingdom its advice against non-essential travel until the end of January 2021, a decision which remains effective to date.

Whereas the government reintroduced controls at all its internal borders on 12 November, as a move to deter any potential terrorist attacks that have occurred in recent weeks across Europe.

Record number achieved by Indian students at German Universities

The number of Indian students enrolled at German universities in the 2019-2020 academic year has reached a further record high with a rise of over 20 percent.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, 25,149 Indian nationals were enrolled at German universities last year which is exactly 20.85 percent more than in the 2018-2019 winter semester, where there were 20,810 Indian students in Germany.

The total number of international students in Germany increased by 4.3 percent to 411,601, which reflects a lower rate of growth compared to the previous year, where there were 5.3 percent more international students in Germany than in the 2017-2018 winter semester.

According to DAAD, Germany's largest foreign academic cooperation support agency, the growth rate of Indians studying in Germany is almost five times higher than the global average. At the same time, Indians are the second-largest national group of foreign students studying at German universities.

Data show that in the 2019-2020 winter semester, most Indian students at German universities were enrolled in the following study areas:

• 67 percent Ingenieurwesen/Engineering- (70 Prozent im Vorjahr)
• 15 percent Management- and Social Sciences (13 Prozent im Vorjahr)
• 12% Mathematics & Natural Sciences

63 percent choose universities or technical universities (TU) and the other 37 percent enrolled at universities of applied sciences," DAAD explains."

At 72.6, the number of Indian male students is still much higher than that of female students, at just 27.4 percent. The figures surrounding this remain unchanged compared to the previous year.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, analysts have expected a drop in the number of foreign students abroad for the academic year 2020-2021, but the DAAD believes that international applicants' interest in studying in Germany will remain unchanged in 2020.

According to the new DAAD data released by Uni-Assist, nearly 60,000 prospective foreign students from over 180 countries have applied for admission to a German university for the coming winter semester of 2020.

"This number of applications is about 80 percent of the previous year, which is an insignificant change in the face of the current global health crisis," says DAAD.

While the interest of Indian students to study in Germany may have risen despite the pandemic, the difficulties they have encountered in getting a visa appointment themselves have resulted in many not being able to attend presentation lectures, and many students have also been forced to either abandon their studies or move their studies completely.

SchengenVisaInfo.com has previously posted on the difficulties faced by international students, including Indian nationals, in this regard, as well as on their social media campaign under the hashtag #EducationIsNotTourism.

The DAAD sponsored the initiative in September, in which the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs was invited to reopen the visa application process for students from third countries.

Portugal extends flight restrictions from Non-EU countries

Internationals qualified to enter Portugal from non-EU countries are expected to apply a negative PCR test result not older than 72 hours upon arrival, as the Government of Portugal has agreed to extend the air traffic restrictions outside the European Union until the last day of November.

In Portugal, the authorities have explained that the decision may be changed at any time, taking into account the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in other countries, states SchengenVisaInfo.com.

According to the Portuguese authorities, the decision was taken to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of the second wave of the deadly virus, at a time when a rise in the number of infections has been registered in a large number of countries.

"Therefore in view of the current epidemiological context, it is important to ensure an appropriate regime for authorized air traffic in mainland Portugal," the authorities in Portugal have announced.

The declaration clarifies that all air traffic to Portugal from countries of the European Union and vice versa, as well as travel from countries linked to the Schengen Region and the United Kingdom, will continue to be allowed.

Health authorities in Portugal reported yesterday that the country has registered the highest number of deaths per day due to Coronavirus disease, with 91 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours and a total of 3,996 infections. The statistics were released by the Health Directorate-General (DGS).

Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, 225,672 cases of infection and 3,472 deaths have been reported in Portugal. The northern region of Portugal is the region most affected by the number of deaths (44) and new cases (44) (2,063).

At present, there are more than 80,045 active cases in the world, whereas the number of people totally recovering from the disease exceeds 142,100.

Portugal has instituted a night curfew, which includes 70% of the country's population, including its capital and Porto, in an attempt to prevent further spread of the Coronavirus.

Last month, SchengenVisaInfo.com announced that on their arrival in Portugal, more than 2,000 passengers declined to undergo a testing procedure. The International and Border Services announced the announcement (SEF).

On the advice of the Council, the weekly maps released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) revealed that the situation of COVID-19 in European countries remained highly risky during the third week of November.

Previously, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimated that it was safe to fly only to Norway, Finland and some regions in Greece during the second week of November.

Croatian Prime Minister: Croatia Will Soon Introduce Digital Nomad Visas

Digital Nomads wishing to live in Croatia will soon be able to do so, as the country is in the process of introducing a Digital Nomad Visa, which will allow internationals who are engaged in jobs independent of location and time, to work in Croatia.

The move has been announced by the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic himself, through a post in Twitter, in which he said that Croatia would adjust the Aliens Act to legally regulate the stay of digital nomads.

Prior to announcing the decision, PM Plenkovic met with Dutch entrepreneur, Jan de Jong who for 14 years now lives in the city of Split, in Croatia.

S nizozemskim poduzetnikom sa splitskom adresom Jan de Jongom o novom Zakonu o strancima kojim će 🇭🇷 postati jedna od prvih zemlja na svijetu koja će zakonski regulirati boravak “digitalnih nomada”. pic.twitter.com/CDRIEl7y5v

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) August 26, 2020

Compared to last year the study shows that tourist arrivals to Europe decreased by 68 percent.

In spite of summer expectations for the travel and tourism industry to mark a recovery by the end of the year, the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic in Europe, and the travel restrictions that came with it have halted the recovery.

International tourist arrivals to Europe have dropped by 68 per cent halfway through the year, compared to the same period last year, shows a new report called “ European Tourism: Trends & Prospects ” for Q3 2020, published by the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) (ETC).

According to the report, the easing of pandemic restrictions across Europe has let to a hardly noticeable increase in July and August 2020 compared to earlier months. Yet, the reimposed of lockdowns and travel restrictions have quickly halted any chance of early recovery.

Looking at the months ahead, heightened uncertainty and downside risks continue to dampen the outlook with European arrivals set to decline 61 per cent in 2020.

According to the ETC Executive Director Eduardo Santander, it is now more important than ever for the European countries to agree on common solutions, which do prevent not only the further spread of the virus but also support the recovery of the tourism.

“ The direction of the economic recovery across Europe will depend significantly on the recovery of the tourism sector, a sector which generates close to 10 per cent of the EU’s GDP and accounts for over 22 million jobs ,” she said, highlighting the importance of protecting businesses, jobs, and enterprises in the travel and tourism industry, which are currently at risk.

Data collected and studied by the ETC shows that some of the deepest falls in the number of arrivals were marked in non-EU member states as Montenegro, Turkey, and Serbia, though more EU countries were listed in the top eight countries with the sharpest declines marked, as follows:

• Cyprus – 85 per cent
• Montenegro – 84 per cent
• Romania – 80 per cent
• Turkey – 77 per cent
• Portugal – 74 per cent
• Serbia – 74 per cent
• Iceland – 71 per cent
• Malta – 71 per cent

Austria is one of the countries that is in a good position to achieve a more secure recovery because of the country's less stringent constraints than in other countries. By September, the nation had decreased by 44 per cent, which is much lower than that of other countries.

According to the ETC article, it is obvious from the data that there is a more need for cooperation between EU Member States and other European countries, which currently have very different restrictions on each other.

In order to reduce downside risks across Europe, harmonized testing and tracing solutions along with quarantine steps would be critical," the report reads."

It also points out that the pandemic has also affected travel choices in European countries, particularly during the summer, as travelers have migrated to rural and coastal areas, avoiding urban areas.

A previous ETC study released in October reported that about 54% of Europeans are planning a trip to Europe within the next six months.

The survey found that sun & beach vacations (25 percent), city breaks (19 percent) and nature/outdoor trips were the most enticing types of trips for people who expect to travel soon (16 per cent).

Brits Live in Portugal: New residence registration drive launched before 31 December

The Portuguese Immigration and Borders Services (SEF) together with the British Embassy in London have launched a new campaign in order to remind the UK nationals who are currently living in Portugal to register for continued residence in the country.

“UK nationals who are living in Portugal, or plan to by the end of the year, should register for residence before the end of the year,” Britain’s government statement reads.

According to the statement published by the UK’s government, Britain nationals who live in Portugal and are interested in remaining there after the end of this year, as well as those who arrive in Portugal by December 31, 2020, and want to reside in Portugal, should register with their local Town Hall, in order to get their Certificate of Registration, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The registration is mandatory for the UK nationals to have their rights protected under the Withdrawal Agreement between Britain and the European Union. The rights of UK nationals include the rights to work, access, education, healthcare, after the United Kingdom’s transition period comes to an end on December 31, 2020.

The UK’s government latest statement emphasizes that the residence document held by December 31, 2020, will continue to be accepted post-Brexit.

Last year, the Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva said that there are nearly 20,000 United Kingdom citizens in Portugal. At the same time, according to the British Embassy, there are at least 35,000 UK nationals in Portugal.

Authorities in Portugal passed a law that permitted to extend the period for registering as a resident of Portugal, until December 31, 2020.

Britain’s citizens resident in Portugal will continue to be permitted to travel throughout the European Union countries, using their Portuguese residency.

Other European countries have also undertaken the necessary steps to inform Brits living in their territory to undertake the measures needed to continue living in their territory and retain their rights.

Earlier this month, Norway’s government promised that it would protect the rights of Norwegian citizens who remain in the United Kingdom, as well as the rights of the United Kingdom’s citizens in Norway after the transition period comes to an end. The decision was revealed by Norway’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

At the same time, Finland’s Ministry of Interior has also reminded the UK’s citizens who wish to remain in Finland, post-Brexit, to exchange the European Union right of residence for the permanent right of residence.

As for EU people living in the UK, in order to continue living in the UK after Brexit, the latter must apply for an EU Settlement Scheme. There is an additional eight-month extension for submissions, until 30 June 2021.

The Home Office has so far announced that more than four million applications for the EU Settlement Scheme have been filed, which means that the target has been reached in advance.

Deputies are moving forward the issues and difficulties of couples split by the EU travel ban

A assembly of members of the European Parliament wrote an open letter to German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer discussing the questions of binational couples who have been divided for months by the EU-wide travel ban as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter is also addressed to the Swedish EU Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, who recently tweeted a vocal campaign undertaken under the hashtags '#LoveIsNotTourism & #LoveIsEssential' in support of a separate couple on social media.

I want to specifically answer and support the deeply dedicated and significant #LoveIsEssential movement. I advise the authorities of the Member States and in particular, the travel companies to apply the broadest possible concept of partnerships. The spouse or 'treasure' with whom the Union citizen or the rightful resident has a permanent relationship that has been duly verified should not be listed as an important journey if exempted from EU travel restrictions. In der Tat! #loveisessential "Tweeted the Commissioner.

Johanssons' appeal was endorsed by many, which then forced the deputies to take a meaningful move by asking the German Minister of the Interior to give unmarried couples in a stable relationship the opportunity to fly to Germany to meet with their partners and to advance this topic in the EU Council.

While we welcome the recent lifting of internal border controls, we are very concerned that travel restrictions on external borders are still dividing families and relatives. Many binational couples who are not married or whose same-sex marriage certificate is not recognized have had no chance to see each other for months," the letter states, in which further stories of couples who remain separated because of the travel ban are listed."

We have got so many tragic e-mails from separated couples:

While MEPs fully support a concerted strategy by the EU Commission and Member States to lift the EU-wide ban on entry, they also call on the Minister and Germany's willingness to ensure that unmarried couples will reunite the Presidency of the EU Council.

"Traveling out of love is not tourism," says the message.

In addition, MEPs also remind the Minister that Article 2(2) and Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC, in which couples define a long-term relationship as a family, should allow unmarried partners to join the EU in a stable relationship on the basis of which the majority of Member States are family members of EU citizens.

Denmark is currently the only EU member state to completely comply with this article. This letter urgently advises that it be included in the remaining Member States.

The letter was signed by several members of the EU Parliament, including Erik MARQUARDT of the Greens, who described border separation as a "pain in this difficult time" for all the couples concerned.

The letter was also signed by Austrian politician Andreas Schieder, who had previously signed and applied for a petition sent to the Austrian government to repeal the entry ban for binational couples.

Both married or not, couples must be able to see themselves again. Now that international air traffic is resuming, an acceptable solution with consideration is needed. If there are no excuses why citizens living in Austria are not permitted to enter the country due to strict hygiene regulations such as a 14-day quarantine or a health certificate, there is so much suffering during the pandemic, so it is now the duty of the Foreign Ministry to offer a perspective to loving couples," Schieder said, signing the petition."

Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com had written on the difficulties that the ban had brought to binational couples, causing many of the couples to delay their weddings and holding them apart for months.

 

Suspending the Golden Visa Program in Cyprus Despite Allegations of Criminalization

The Government of Cyprus has stated that its much-criticized Golden Visa Program, which allows foreign investors of at least EUR 2 million to fly to European Union countries without visa requirements, will expire on 1 November.

Such a decision comes after Al Jazeera's investigative study, known as the Cyprus Papers, which reported that from 2017 to 2019, through the Citizenship by Investment scheme, more than 1,000 internationals and their family members purchased citizenship in Cyprus.

Thirty people who have gained from the Golden Visa have been accused of criminal activity, according to the study, while 40 of them are politically exposed. Other affluent individuals who gained citizenship in Cyprus have also been involved in money laundering, corruption and other illegal activities, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

However the officials of the European Union, along with civil society advocates, are not persuaded that Cyprus will not attempt to re-launch the program in an amended form.

Parliamentary spokesperson Demetris Syllouris, as well as Member of Parliament Christakis Giovanis, were implicated in these visa frauds, according to Al Jazeera's series of reports in this regard.

As an invented businessman from China, accused of money-laundering affairs, Al Jazeera's undercover operatives presented themselves. Such a conviction does not permit the fake businessman to apply as it is based on scheme law.

In addition, Demetris Syllouris, the parliamentary speaker, assured citizens who represented an invented Chinese businessman engaged in money-laundering affairs to help sell Cyprus passports.

The Al Jazeera report reported that one registered service provider claimed that a person who had been incarcerated for two years for corruption charges had previously obtained a Cyprus golden passport, implying that the person should change his name in order to have a new identity.

"We should change his name of course. It's Cyprus,' she pointed out.

If Syllouris was recorded, "You can tell him that without mentioning my name or anyone else's, he will have full support from Cyprus." Political, economic, social, all at every stage, OK? ”.

The European Union announced last month that it could bring legal action against the Government of Cyprus for allowing the Golden Visa Program to sell its services, considering the criminal charges it faces.

The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, voiced his concerns at the time adding that the first aspect is to make sure that the justice system has any investigations at the national level.

Citizenship through an investment program has brought more than seven billion euros ($8 billion) to the country since 2013, when it was launched.

Despite the allegations facing the country, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris of Cyprus stressed that the government of Cyprus enhanced the security and administration of its citizenship through an investment program.

But the European Union, which criticized Cyprus, Bulgaria and Malta in April for running their citizenship-by-investment schemes, was not reassured by such a declaration.

Members of the European Parliament from the European People's Party Community urged the elimination of the Golden Visa scheme in EU countries on 27 February last year.

Frontex: Arrivals Picking up at EU External Borders, Still Down for the Year

The number of citizens attempting to cross Europe’s external borders illegally has marked a 15 per cent decrease, during the first seven months of this year, compared to the previous year, the European Union Border Protection Agency Frontex’s report reads.

However, compared to April, when the number of irregular migrants detected at Europe’s external borders reached, was at a record low, during the past three months has marked an increase, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The number of illegal border crossings showed an increase by nearly a third compared to the previous month to 8,650. The highest number of arrivals was marked in the Central and Western Mediterranean regions.

“In July, the number of migrants reaching Europe using the Central Mediterranean route more-than-doubled from June to 4 650, in large part due to a significant rise in the number of irregular migrants departing from Tunisia,” Frontex’s report reveals.

Compared to 2019, the total number of illegal crossings on this route has been increased to 13,150, during the first seven months of this year, up to 155 per cent.

Citizens of Tunisia and Bangladesh have been detected the most, attempting to enter Europe through the Central Mediterranean route.

As for the Western Mediterranean, in July there have been detected nearly 1,500 cases of illegal border crossings, 84 per cent more compared to the previous month.

Citizens of Algeria and Morocco were detected the most on this route, during this year.

On the Eastern Mediterranean route, there were reported 400 detections of illegal crossings, in July,  44 per cent decrease compared to the previous month.

The majority of persons attempting to cross the Eastern Mediterranean route illegally were citizens of Afghanistan and Syria.

On the Western Balkan route, there were detected  2,550 migrants trying to illegally cross this route, during July, 40 per cent fewer than in June.

“The number of migrants crossing the Western Balkans has increased due to higher numbers of people who had originally landed in Greece and the easing of COVID measures by the national authorities in the region,” the statement reads.

From January this year until July, nearly 11, 300 migrants were detected at European Union’s border in the region, the number shows an 80 per cent increase compared to the first seven months of 2019. Syrian and Afghan nationals were detected the most in this zone.

Sweden Extends Its Temporary Entry Ban Until December 22

Authorities in Sweden have decided to extend the temporary ban on entry to the European Union via Sweden until December 22, in a bid to mitigate the effects of the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the country’s government has announced.

The entry ban was imposed on March 19 and was supposed to be effective for 30 days at first. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, such a decision has been continually extended, under the European Commission recommendations, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“The COVID-19 virus is a matter of international concern that requires cross-border cooperation and coordinated measures. Today’s decision is in line with the EU Commission and the Council of the European Union recommendation to the EU Member States,” Sweden’s government statement reads.

As yet, more than 108,900 persons have tested positive for the Coronavirus pandemic, in Sweden, while a total of 5,930 have lost their lives in their battle against the deadly virus, according to the statistics published by Worldometers.

At the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak in Europe back in spring, while a large share of countries worldwide imposed lockdowns measures as a preventive measure against the spread of the virus, authorities in Sweden opted to apply these kinds of strategies.

However, the increasing number of Coronavirus cases in Sweden has pushed the country to rethink its “no-lockdown” policy.

According to the Time magazine, the death rate per-capita, during last week, was 58.6 per 100,000 people.

Earlier this month, the country’s government lifted the advice against non-essential travel to Slovenia and Malta, after evaluating that the number of COVID-19 cases marked a decrease in both countries. The decision was announced by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However today, the same MFA extended the advice against non-essential trips to Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and Lithuania for another two weeks, until November 4, due to the high number of Coronavirus cases that are being registered for weeks now in these countries.

The Ministry also advises Swedes who decide to travel to the high-risk despite the travel warning, to be responsible and to prepare thoroughly, by being well informed about the entry rules that apply there and upon return in Sweden.

Estonia Amends Rules of Entry & Stay for International Workers and Students

Estonia plans to update the rules of entry and stay for internationals who study or work in the country, the country’s government has announced.

During the government session held earlier this week, the Minister of the Interior Mart Helme said that he introduced the draft amendments to the Aliens Act while Estonia’s government will send the draft to the parliament – Riigikogu – for further processing, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“Our goal is to prevent the constant growth of communities from high-risk countries, and this is mainly due to learning mobility. The rumours that Estonia will become a closed country by restricting study mobility are not true. Every year, almost 2,000 students from different European Union countries study in Estonia. We will not restrict study mobility within the European Union in any way. The problem is the previously unrepresented and, as a result of study mobility, the growing communities of nations in Estonia, which have a significantly different historical, cultural and religious background from us,” the Minister stressed.

The amendments regarding study mobility include the decision that long-term visas would no longer be given to family members of internationals who are studying in Estonia under the same requirements as those who came to finish their studies.

“In the worst case, they may oppose society, and this may lead to integration difficulties and closed communities. With the draft, we are sending a clear message that after graduating, foreigners must return to their home country and study mobility cannot be a means of staying permanently in Estonia,” Minister Helme pointed out.

Internationals who own a residence permit to study in Estonia are able to invite their spouses to Estonia, in future.

Internationals who completed their studies in Estonia are ineligible to apply for a residence permit in order to settle permanently in Estonia.