A much-touted agreement with the European Union making travel easier for businesspeople, students, NGO workers and other professionals might go into force finally, as Brussels has changed its stance on Moscow's demand to include a visa waiver for government officials.
But there are some catches, as both sides still face difficult negotiations before reaching a visa-facilitation agreement, a senior EU official said Monday.
Moscow must ensure that it issues so-called official passports with biometric security features only to certain people, Stefano Manservisi, the EU's director general for home affairs, told reporters in Moscow.
Manservisi added that fresh complications might arise over a new Russian law that requires airlines to pass passenger data to the country's law enforcement agencies, even if they only fly through Russian airspace. He explained that this might be in violation of current EU law.
The visa-facilitation agreement, which grants long-term multiple-entry visas to businesspeople, NGO workers, scientists, students and journalists, has been held up for more than one year because EU negotiators stubbornly refused to meet Moscow's demand to grant holders of official passports visa-free entry. They have pointed to security concerns, arguing that there is no transparent data about who is entitled to such passports.
However, the impasse was solved last week, reportedly after Germany lifted its reservations. A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed at a briefing last week that Berlin had sent a letter to Brussels in which it proposed to accept the Russian demand, according to a transcript e-mailed to The Moscow Times on Monday.
Read more: EU Visa Deal Looks Likely, But Catches Remain | News | The Moscow Times
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