Moldova.ORG -- Last year the European Commission suggested to EU Member States opening a joint visa application centre in Chisinau. The centre will facilitate travel for Moldovan citizens to the EU and improve consular co-operation on the ground between EU Member States according to a press release of the Delegation of the European Commission to Moldova.

According to the cited source, the initiative has been taken by Hungary with the assistance of Austria and Slovenia. Denmark, Estonia and Latvia announced their willingness to participate as well. Other Member States are welcomed to participate now or at a later stage, in particular Schengen States not present in Chisinau. The Common Application Centre will be located in the premises of the Hungarian embassy in Chisinau and will be able to handle at least 10,000 applications a year.

Visa applications for transit, airport transit and short-stay will be collected and sent at least once a week to processing consulates. Besides the hard copy of the application and the supporting documents a reusable smart card with the basic data of the applicant and the application will be attached to each application. The smart card will contain the photo of the applicant and later on the fingerprints as well.
Before the opening of the CAC the public will be informed in local written and electronic media.
The date of opening is foreseen in the beginning of April 2007. Vice President Frattini intends to participate in the official opening.
According to the press release, Romania is considering the possibility of opening a centre in Chisinau as well that should be closely coordinated with the Hungarian initiative. We are awaiting further details on this suggestion. The issue will be further discussed by the relevant Council working groups.

The Commission emphasized the benefits of a facilitated visa agreement for Moldovan citizens and stands ready to start negotiations on visa facilitation immediately, back to back to the ongoing negotiations on a readmission agreement. Jointly, all these initiatives will contribute to closer relations between the EU and Moldova, the press release informs.

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