Visas: third countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa when the are crossing EC external borders

Under consultation procedure, the European Parliament approved the proposal for a Council Regulation, based on Article 100c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, determining the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States and Draft Council Regulation determining the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the Member States. The report by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE,DE) makes a number of amendments to the proposal relating to the following areas: - defining "visa" for the purposes of the proposed regulation; - allowing Member States to decide whether to require visas of nationals of third countries not listed in the proposed regulation's Annex until 30/06/99; - requiring regular updating of the list of third countries in the Annex; - requiring submission to the European Parliament of the reports on the situation in Bulgaria and Romania with a view to visa requirements; - clarifying the requirements as regards the scope of the validity and recognition from one Member State to another of uniform visas; - requiring stateless persons and refugees resident in certain States to possess a valid visa before crossing the external frontiers; - establishing common conditions and criteria for the issuing of uniform visas and requiring that they be issued by the diplomatic and consular authorities of the Member State; - providing for a right of appeal against a refusal to grant a uniform visa; - requiring the Commission, in the first half of 1999, to draw up a report on progress made and measures still needed in harmonising Member States' visa policies with regard to third countries not included in the Community list; - detailing the process for the Commission to propose the necessary implementing provisions; - requiring that the proposed "provisional" regulation be replaced within one year following the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty.�