Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards the extension of the temporary suspension of the visa exemption for nationals of Vanuatu

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 31.5.2024 C(2024) 3650 final COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) …/... of 31.5.2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards the extension of the temporary suspension of the visa exemption for nationals of Vanuatu EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 1. CONTEXT OF THE DELEGATED ACT The Republic of Vanuatu is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/18061 among the third countries whose nationals are exempt from the requirement to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The exemption from the visa requirement for nationals of Vanuatu is applicable since 28 May 2015, when the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Vanuatu on the short-stay visa waiver (‘the Agreement’)2 was signed and started to apply on a provisional basis in accordance with Article 8(1) of the Agreement. The Agreement entered into force on 1 April 2017. Since 25 May 2015, Vanuatu has been operating investor citizenship schemes allowing visarequired third-country nationals to easily obtain the nationality of a visa-free country, thus enabling them to bypass the Schengen visa procedure and gain visa-free access to the EU. The Commission has concluded, based on concrete information and data, reports and statistics, and its contacts with the authorities of Vanuatu, that the investor citizenship schemes of Vanuatu, in their current form and...