Havel, Wałęsa and Kwaśniewski asking EU to lower Schengen visas price Belarusians
A former Czech President Václav Havel and former Polish leaders Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski urged the European Union to lower the Schengen visas price for Belarusians from 60 to 35 euro on Tuesday.
The former Presidents stressed that the freedom of travel will help the process of democratization in Belarus.
“The EU declares support of democratisation and establishment of contacts between people but now it limits those contacts by increasing prices for visas”, - is said in the document.
Belarusians used to get cheap visas to cross the Western border before the Schengen area was broadened. A Polish and a Lithuanian visa used to cost 5 euro, a Czech visa – 14 and a Latvian visa was free. A European visa costs 60 euro starting from December 21.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement about cheaper visas with the EU in the framework of the policy of good-neighbourly relations. Belarus does not have a contract like that. The Presidents reminded that the possibility of free travel helped democratic changes and the development of market economy in Czechia, Poland and Hungary at the beginning of the 1990s.
The former Presidents stressed that the freedom of travel will help the process of democratization in Belarus.
“The EU declares support of democratisation and establishment of contacts between people but now it limits those contacts by increasing prices for visas”, - is said in the document.
Belarusians used to get cheap visas to cross the Western border before the Schengen area was broadened. A Polish and a Lithuanian visa used to cost 5 euro, a Czech visa – 14 and a Latvian visa was free. A European visa costs 60 euro starting from December 21.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement about cheaper visas with the EU in the framework of the policy of good-neighbourly relations. Belarus does not have a contract like that. The Presidents reminded that the possibility of free travel helped democratic changes and the development of market economy in Czechia, Poland and Hungary at the beginning of the 1990s.
