On April 28, it is celebrated seven years of the abolition of the visa-free regime for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who have biometric passports. In the period, 2 376 731 Moldovans benefitted from this regime, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova.
The Ministry noted that each of the seven years was marked by ascending dynamics and the annual number of beneficiaries who traveled visa-free in the Schengen Area rose to 157 816 in 2014, to 890 974 in 2019. According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, of the total number of travellers, only about 0.3 – 0.4% were denied entry, while 0.5 – 0.7% stayed illegally.
In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions imposed by the EU member states, the free movement was essentially affected. In 2020, the number of beneficiaries of the visa-free regime declined 2.4 times, while the number of travellers 2.9 times against 2019. The situation is much the same in 2021. The number of travellers in the first four months of the year decreased 2.2 times compared with the corresponding period last year. But the number of refusals of entry and of illegal stays rose disproportionally, reaching 1.1% and, respectively, 2.6% in 2020.
“We are confident that the measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, including the vaccination campaign, in the Republic of Moldova and in the Schengen countries, will enable to gradually lift the travel restrictions due to the pandemic in a predictable future. This way, it will be possible to fully restore the benefits of the visa-free regime for Moldovan citizens so as to ensure the facilitation of inter-human contacts and to contribute to the additional strengthening of business, social and cultural ties between the Republic of Moldova and the Schengen countries,” runs the press release.
The Schengen Area includes 26 countries - 22 EU member states and four non-EU member states. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are candidates for joining the Schengen Area.
