Third-country nationals: freedom to travel for 3 months, free entry and movement for 6 months

The committee adopted the report by Margot KESSLER (PES, D) amending the proposal under the consultation procedure. Although it was generally in favour of the proposal, the committee wanted it to be in the form of a regulation rather than a directive, as the transposition into national law required by a directive would delay implementation for an indefinite period. The committee also adopted a number of other amendments, aimed mainly at clarifying the text. Lastly, it wanted to make sure that third-country nationals with a residence permit should not be in a worse position than those who obtained a visa repeatedly, and that persons with a long-stay visa should also be able to travel freely before submitting an application for a residence permit.�