(MENAFN) The European Council endorsed new regulations on Monday designed to simplify the process for the bloc to suspend visa-free short-term travel for citizens of non-EU nations, particularly in situations involving human rights abuses.

The initiative aims to reinforce the European Union’s visa suspension framework, which currently applies to 61 countries whose citizens can enter the Schengen zone without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

According to a statement, the revised system introduces additional grounds for triggering a suspension, enabling the EU to strip a country of its visa-free privileges if "its human rights violations deteriorate" or if "broader relations with the bloc break down."

Previously, the mechanism concentrated primarily on migration-related metrics.

Under the new amendments, the EU may also impose restrictions on countries whose policies conflict with the EU's visa regulations or those that implement "investor citizenship schemes" granting nationality to individuals without genuine ties to the state—practices the EU regards as a security threat.

The updated rules also lower the threshold required to activate the suspension mechanism.

Now, a 30% increase in refused entries, overstays, asylum requests, or serious criminal offenses will qualify as a "substantial increase," compared with the earlier 50% benchmark.

Moreover, the length of an initial suspension will rise from nine to 12 months.

This may be followed by a 24-month extension, longer than the previous 18 months, providing the EU additional time to engage with the country and address issues before contemplating a permanent revocation.

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