Today in the Senate, the Leader of Government business who has responsibility for International Legal Affairs and Diplomacy discussed the state of negotiations to get a Schengen visa waiver for Belize. That would mean visa free entry to most European countries - which is enjoyed by many nations in the Caribbean and Central America. So why not Belize? Courtenay gave an update:
Eamon Courtenay, Leader of Government Business
"The campaign continues for the Schengen visa waiver for all passports for the entire Schengen area. It is not easy, as you are aware, the current climate in the developed world is very much anti-migration and the whole notion that you will be allowing another country, right of access, the citizens of another country, right of access into the European Union, perhaps now is not the time to actually put that to a vote."
"That being said, what we have been told, and this has been confirmed to Minister Fonseca and to the Prime Minister, is that insofar as the criteria exists for qualification for the Schengen visa waiver, Belize ticks all the boxes."
"So it's a question of timing, when is the appropriate time, having regard to the politics in the European Union, in the Schengen area, that we will advance that process. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues on a very clear path and a very intense campaign with friendly countries in the European Union seeking to arrive at their point which would be propitious for us to ask the Parliament, to ask the Commission and individual member states to grant the visa or consider the visa waiver."
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