Visa-free privileges for EU expected soon: foreign minister (Taiwan)

[pampango]

Source: Focus Taiwan

The process of securing visa-free privileges for Taiwanese tourists to the European Union is "going smoothly" and the measure might be implemented soon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy C.T. Yang said Saturday.

According to ministry spokesman James Chang, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, submitted a proposal in July suggesting that the EU include Taiwan on its Schengen visa-free privilege list. The Schengen Area comprises the territories of 25 European countries, which include 22 EU member states and three-non EU states -- Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

The visa-waiver program is also applicable to three non-Schengen EU member states -- Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel purposes, with border controls for travelers traveling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls. Taiwan has so far been given visa-exemption privileges by 33 countries, including New Zealand, Ireland, Britain, Japan and South Korea.

Read more: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aIPL&ID=201010020013

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Taiwan would be the first non-European country (Cyprus is a member of the EU and is often described as EurAsian) to become a member of the Schengen Area, though I have read that Canada is negotiating a similar agreement.

[Turborama]

1. Random. Does this mean there'll be planes full of Polish plumbers arriving in Taiwan soon? n/t

[sonomak]

2. Visa waiver to enter Shengen Area is not the same as Schengen Area membership

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area#Schengen_visa

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. and as the rest of the world tears down barriers to movement...

We are building them just as fast as we can!

Canada isn't actually going to join Schengen - but Canada is going to enter into a free trade agreement with the European Union that might as well make them a member,

[pampango]

4. Seems to represent the difference between European progressives and many American progressives.

Europeans progressives, who have been relatively successful at creating institutions and government policies that provide a strong safety net for European citizens, are interested in tearing down barriers with the rest of the world.

In the US "real" progressives seem convinced that only building walls and tariffs against the rest of the world is the only way to achieve a progressive society.

Canadian progressives do seem to be more European than American in the sense that they see their progressive society as inextricably linked to the rest of the world.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. This was set in motion decades ago,

In the mid-60's the Europeans were jolted into action out of a misplaced fear of American economic domination and set into motion building world class industries that could fight any or all American competitors. America on the other hand stood dead still while shaking our fist at the sky to John Cafferty songs.

So today Europeans no matter what their political stripes are not particularly concerned with those scary foreigners. While Americans can't conceive of any solution other than reactionary isolationism in the face of foreign competition and "terra".

Canadian progressives pretty much say anything goes, just keep your hands off medicare.