Visa-free travel to EU countries for Maldivians
While the specifics were not agreed upon at this meeting, this is still a major milestone for the Maldives.
On 13th June 2023, the 4th Senior Officials meeting between the Maldives and the European Union (EU) took place in Brussels, and the discussions of the meeting piqued the interest of everyone in the Maldives.
While several major discussions were held in this meeting, one of the most notable points of discussion was surely the one surrounding allowing Maldivians to travel to countries of the EU without a visa requirement. Anyone who has had to follow through with a visa process knows how lengthy and time-consuming this process is, and how much easier it is to commute between two countries when it's visa-free. Not only does this save a lot of time, but it can also make travel so much cheaper as you do not have to put up with the hassle of a visa.
Following the discussions, the EU will consider the request by the Maldives to allow Maldivian passport holders to travel to countries of the EU visa-free. While the specifics were not agreed upon at this meeting, this is still a major milestone for the Maldives. The EU has stated that they will be discussing a list of countries in the EU that Maldivian passport holders can travel to without visa, and although an exact date for the announcement of these countries and official statements regarding this have not been published as the issue would be addressed during the next review of visa list, there is no doubt that Maldivians are looking forward to this step in the travel industry for the country.
While this was the topic that caught the majority of the people's interest, the EU and the Maldives held several important discussions which included the EU and the Maldives signing a €5 million Financing Agreement, aiming to provide support to reduce corruption in the Maldives while also supporting the work towards enhancing the rule of law.
Additionally, the EU and the Maldives also hosted discussions regarding security cooperation, the bilateral cooperation towards the fight against illegal fisheries practices as well as discussions around further deepening the engagement between the nations through the implementation of the EU strategy for cooperation in the indo-pacific as well.
