BRUSSELS – The European Union announced on Monday that it is tightening visa requirements for people from Ethiopia, accusing the local government of not cooperating in accepting citizens living illegally in the 27-nation bloc.
EU headquarters said the time needed to process visas for Ethiopian citizens will triple from 15 to 45 days. EU countries will no longer be able to waive certain document requirements or issue multiple entry visas. Ethiopian diplomats and officials will now have to pay for travel visas.
The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, has promised to use visa rules as a way to pressure countries to cooperate in deportation procedures. Only about one in three people ordered to leave the EU ever leaves.
The Commission states that the action is being taken due to the “lack of response from the Ethiopian authorities with regard to readmission requests”, as well as deficiencies in the “organization of voluntary and non-voluntary return operations”, which is the way how the UE describes deportation.
The majority of people staying illegally in the EU arrive without breaking any rules through airports or ports, but never return home when their visas expire, outnumbering those who arrive in unseaworthy boats or travel overland in search of refuge, employment or better lives in Europe.
Ethiopia is mired in conflict and a humanitarian crisis. The two-year conflict in the northern region of Tigray, which ended with a peace agreement in November 2022, has left most of the region’s population of 6 million dependent on international aid.
The country is an important place of origin and transit for migrants and refugees in the Horn of Africa region, often serving as a hub for people from Eritrea and Somalia wanting to reach Europe or other parts of the north of the African continent.
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