By David Jessop
In a matter of months the Economic Partnership Agree-ment (EPA) with Europe will be signed in Barbados. While the formal treaty arrangement may come into being against a background of demonstrations in part orchestrated by bodies from outside the region, there is no political appetite in the region to reject what has been agreed.
This means that the EPA’s trade provisions will gradually come into force while other aspects will take effect immediately.
Under the new treaty and after its signing, Caribbean business men and women and professionals plus those involved in providing cultural services will have the right to temporarily enter Europe for a cumulative period of not more than six months in any twelve-month period. Similar arrangements that were for the most part already in place will apply to their European counterparts arriving in the Caribbean.
But what seems to be less well understood is that these new arrangements will still be subject to whatever visa or entry arrangements that European or Caribbean nations have.
Temporary entry is a globally contentious and politically charged issue with electorates everywhere. As a consequence authorities in every nation maintain discretion in terms of access. In the Caribbean temporary changes were made during the period of Cricket World Cup but for the most part entry regulations into individual Caribbean jurisdictions remain tight for visitors from Europe other than tourists.
In the case of entry into Europe change in the visa regime has occurred gradually so that with the exception of special arrangements for the United Kingdom and Spain (depending on the nationality of the Caribbean visitor) a so-called Schengen visa is required.
To explain: the name Schengen originates from a small town in Luxembourg where European countries first agreed to a treaty to end internal border checkpoints and controls. Since then a total of twenty nine states, including twenty five European Union states and four non-EU members (Iceland, Norway, Liechten-stein and Switzerland), are bound by an amended version of this treaty. This requires visitors (subject to certain national exceptions for nations that have special arrangements based on historical ties) to obtain a Schengen visa to travel freely within Europe’s Schengen zone.
Taken at face value this should have meant easier travel to Europe for Caribbean citizens. However, because such visas are administered by EU nations on a national basis related to the first point of entry into Europe, the fact that diplomatic and consular representation in the Caribbean does not exist for all EU states, and the fragmented nature of the region, the Schengen visa has become for some an impediment to travel, especially if this has to take place at short notice.
A week or so ago this was well illustrated by the problems surrounding the decision to change the timing of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association’s national junior championships. These it seems will have to be held later because of logistical problems for athletes who will qualify for the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in July.
According to sports officials those atheletes travelling to Poland from Jamaica will require a Schengen visa. However, because there is no Polish embassy in Jamaica to issue a Polish Schengen visa it will be necessary to send the visa applications and passports to the Polish Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, for processing. This could take around four weeks thereby throwing into doubt the athletes’ ability to compete in other inter-regional competitions.
In finding uncertainty in Europe’s visa regime, Jamaica’s athletes are not alone. There is a growing sense of resentment among some of the region’s most senior businessmen who see the whole process of applying for a Schengen visa insulting, time consuming and totally at odds with Europe’s desire to deepen investment and trade ties.
In recent months I have come across several examples of some of the region’s most significant entrepreneurs from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad who have been incandescent about the manner in which they have been treated when seeking a Schengen visa.
Despite the fact that they have large investments in Europe, homes there or are delivering major EU projects, they have to send their passports away with supporting documentation about everything from their financial status, emergency medical insurance to evidence of where they will be staying.
This has involved sending this documentation plus their passport to the embassy or consulate of the EU nation they wish to enter first, even if that consul is in New York or Caracas. If they may need to do this more than once they are without their passport for up to three weeks at a time in a region in which daily business travel to other islands is the norm. To make matters worse they may have their applications rejected despite their economic status in their home nation and then have to resort to requesting the intervention of one or another EU ambassador or high commissioner.
It is an approach guaranteed to win no friends and to cause such individuals to seek opportunity elsewhere.
The issue is also difficult when a visa to enter Europe is required in a hurry such as a medical emergency for a close relative or a death in the family. So much so that in the case of Jamaicans wishing to travel to the United Kingdom under such circumstances the issue has become a political one between Jamaica and the United Kingdom.
No one would argue with the needs of national security or the importance of having a coherent immigration policy. However, the difference between the principles agreed in the EPA to facilitate trade and cultural exchange and the bureaucratic reality of being able to make use of the facility needs to be addressed.
In a region like the Caribbean where frequent inter-island travel is the norm, and passports are a daily requirement it ought to be possible for Europe to establish a better arrangement for obtaining a Schengen visa and for making more readily available visas that cover multiple entry over a longer period.
Previous columns can be found at www.caribbean-council.org
