BOGOTA: The European Commission has eliminated visa policies for Colombian citizens to move freely around the Europe. The elimination of short-term visas for Colombians and Peruvians under the Schengen rules has been approved by the European Commission and the change is expected to take effect in the first half of next year.
“Via diplomatic channels, Colombia was informed of this decision made by Belize’s Council of Ministers,” the ministry said in a statement.
Belize joins the 34 other countries that Colombians can visit without obtaining a visa, a list that the European states that are part of the Schengen Area, or EU Customs Union, will presumably join in 2015.
The Schengen Area includes 22 of the 28 European Union members: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
The other members of the Schengen Area are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are not EU members.
