Common Visa Issuing Center in Chisinau issued almost 87,000 visas in seven years

03.07.2014 13:41
1976
2 minute(s)

During the seven years of its opening, the Common Visa Issuing Center in Chisinau, which represents 16 European countries, has issued almost 87,000 visas, which is 91.4% of the applications. As many as 14,300 visas or 15.1% of the total were issued free. The data were made public in an event focusing on the Center’s activity and results between April 2007 and April 2014, IPN reports.

Hungarian Ambassador in Chisinau Mátyás Szilágyi said that in 2007, there were received 3,664 applications for visas and issued 2,876 visas. The percentage of rejections was 21%. The number of applications rose yearly so that in 2013 it was 17,564, of which 16,539 were accepted. The percentage of rejections was 6%. “In 2014, we received 3,374 applications and issued 3,282 visas,” he stated.

Most of the applicants asked for visas for Greece, Hungary and Austria, while the visits were made for business, tourism and training purposes. After the visa regime with the EU was liberalized on April 28, the number of applications for visas has fallen by 15-20% compared with the corresponding period of 2012 or 2013.

The event was attended by politicians. The leader of the Liberal Party Mihai Ghimpu said the freedom of the people counts especially when they have to decide where they want study and to work. “Moldova is no longer isolated and its people can travel feely,” he noted.

The leader of the parliamentary opposition, the head of the Communist Party Vladimir Voronin said that Moldova started to cooperate with the EU in 2002, based on a plan of action. “We opened the Common Visa Issuing Center and embassies in the European countries, even if we were poor and didn’t have staff. We then obtained the asymmetric trade regime with the EU and solved other problems. Our faction in Parliament proposed more than 300 laws,” he stated.

The Moldovans who do not have biometric passports can continue to apply to the Common Visa Issuing Center if they plan a trip to one of the 16 states represented by it, namely Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Hungarian, Switzerland, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Croatia, Finland, Luxemburg, Belgium, Estonia, Slovakia, and Sweden .