European Union ministers on Friday backed making it easier and faster to suspend visa waiver with third countries and said relaxing travel rules for more states was not imminent amid deepening public concern about immigration into the bloc, Reuters reports.
EU is in politically sensitive talks with Ankara on easier travel requirements for Turks seeking to visit Europe for up to three months and with no right to work.
The 28-nation bloc is planning the concession as part of a deal whereby Turkey helps curb the influx of migrants and refugees to Europe. But some EU states are anxious about opening up to a mainly Muslim nation of 79 million people.
To assuage such concerns, EU is beefing up a mechanism that allows it to suspend visa waiver with any of some 60 countries that have such agreements in place. The plan, endorsed by 28 EU interior ministers on Friday, enjoys backing in European Parliament, which must sign off on it as well.
"Visa liberalization has great advantages for EU and third countries", Klaas Dijkhoff said, migration minister for the Netherlands, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency.
"Yet we need... to make sure that visa liberalization cannot be abused. I'm pleased that we agreed today on a mechanism that makes it easier to act against abuse".
As well as Turkey, EU is currently working on lifting visas for citizens of Ukraine, Georgia and Kosovo. Countries which already enjoy such travel benefits include Japan, United States, South Korea, Venezuela, Israel and Canada.