The EU wants to make entry into the Schengen zone payable
The European Commission has introduced a new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will introduce a fee for visa-free entry into the Schengen area for non-EU citizens.
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This is stated in a statement by the European Commission.
A person who will be traveling to Schengen will need to fill out a form and provide only a valid travel document. The application will be valid for five years and for multiple trips.
All adults will pay 5 euros for this opportunity.
The system will collect information on all those traveling without visas to the EU, allowing illegal migration and background checks to be avoided in advance.
“We need to know who is crossing our borders. We are proposing an automated system to determine who will be allowed to travel to Europe. This way we will know who is traveling in Europe before they even come here,” explained Jean-Claude Juncker.
The European Commission believes that such a system will contribute to more efficient management of external borders and improve internal security, because the EU considers the safety and protection of its citizens to be a top priority.
“ETIAS will close the information gap by cross-checking applicants' visas in all other systems,” said European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans.
Thus, even if the EU does give Ukraine a visa-free regime, the country’s citizens will have to fork out for the right to enter the EU.
The EU wants to charge entry into the Schengen zone.