European Youth Forum welcomes European Parliament’s new draft report on Visas

The European Youth Forum welcomes the recently published Draft Report on the Union Code on Visas of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament, which is being considered by the Committee in its meeting today.

The Draft Report addresses several impediments to youth mobility that the Youth Forum has already identified. These include lengthy and intransparent procedures, high cost of applications and unnecessary requirements for supporting documents.

The European Youth Forum is convinced that mobility of young people is a vital contribution to employability, development of skills and intercultural understanding both in Europe and internationally.

In order to make Europe an inclusive place of leisure and learning for all, the European Youth Forum presents further amendments for the Committee’s consideration.

These include raising the minimum age for exceptions to visas for exchanges and volunteering from 25 to 35, provision of clear information on visa exceptions for non-profit organisations, as well as forbidding the use of age or marital status in the verification of whether the applicant has sufficient means to sustain themselves, which are clearly discriminatory against young people.

Read the full list of amendment proposals and our statement below.