(MENAFN) The European Council on Monday approved new rules designed to make it easier for the bloc to suspend visa-free short-stay travel for citizens of non-EU countries, particularly in cases of human rights violations.

The reform aims to strengthen the EU’s visa suspension mechanism, which currently applies to 61 countries whose nationals can enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The revised mechanism introduces new grounds for triggering a suspension, allowing the EU to revoke a country's visa-free status if its human rights violations worsen or if broader relations with the bloc break down, according to a statement. Previously, the mechanism focused mainly on migration-related indicators.

Under the amendments, the EU may also act against countries whose policies diverge from the EU's visa rules or those operating investor citizenship programs that grant nationality to individuals without genuine ties to the country, practices considered a security risk.

The regulation lowers the threshold for activating the suspension mechanism. A 30% rise in refused entry, overstays, asylum applications, or serious criminal offenses will now qualify as a "substantial increase," compared with the previous 50% threshold.

The duration of an initial suspension will be extended from nine to 12 months. This may be followed by a 24-month extension, longer than the current 18 months, giving the EU additional time to work with the country to resolve the issues before a permanent revocation is considered.

Unlike current rules, which automatically affect all nationals when a suspension is prolonged, the new mechanism allows the EU to target specific groups, including government officials and diplomats, during the extended phase.

The updated regulation will take effect 20 days after its publication in the EU's Official Journal and will be directly applicable in all member states.

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