First, to answer the first question: Is Greece a Schengen country? Of course, Greece is a Schengen country and also a member of the European Union. Recently, the European Parliament announced the approval of a reform plan for the Schengen visa with a vote of 428 in favor, 123 against, and 56 abstentions, supporting the simplification of the application and issuance procedures for Schengen visas, while also linking the Schengen visa to a country’s readmission of illegal immigrants.
In March of last year, the European Commission, which was leading the drafting, published the details of the plan. According to the plan, the application time for Schengen visas will change from the current limit of three months in advance to six months in advance; the application process aims to be digitized, allowing applicants to fill out, submit, and even sign the application form online.
Apply six months in advance; online application; fee increase
For multiple-entry visas, the plan proposes to change the current situation where Schengen member states each have their own policies. It aims to unify the validity period of multiple-entry visas, with a minimum validity of 1 year, and subsequent extensions based on the number of times the applicant applies, but not exceeding a maximum of 5 years.
The plan, also known as to increase staffing, update equipment, and strengthen security checks, proposes to raise the fee for short-term Schengen visas (valid for no more than 90 days) from the current 60 euros to 80 euros.
In addition, the plan explicitly states that the issuance of Schengen visas will be contingent upon a country's readmission of illegal immigrants, meaning whether a country cooperates with the European Union to readmit deported illegal immigrants will affect the processing time, validity period, and costs of Schengen visas for that country.
17 days after the plan was approved by the European Parliament, the European Commission welcomed it. The European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, stated that the Schengen visa reform plan is expected to promote tourism and economic development within the European Union, improve border control standards, better distinguish illegal immigrants, and encourage cooperation from other countries regarding the issue of illegal immigration with the European Union.
The reform plan may be officially implemented within six months.
According to the European Union's legislative procedures, the next step is that if the Council of the European Union formally approves the Schengen visa reform plan, it can be implemented six months after its official announcement. Given that the plan was informally approved by the Council of the European Union in February this year, there should be no unexpected delays in its implementation.
Which countries are included in the Schengen Area?
As one of the hallmarks of European integration, the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 by five countries: Germany (West Germany), France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, in the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, marking the birth of the Schengen visa. To date, the Schengen Area comprises 26 countries, including 22 European Union member states and 4 non-EU member states: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. According to EU statistics, in 2017, the 26 countries issued over 14 million short-term Schengen visas.
By the end of 2018, the number of Schengen member countries increased to 26: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Malta.
