EU Ambassador and President Adama Barrow
By Buba Gagigo
The Council of the European Union announced the repeal of the second layer of visa sanctions imposed on The Gambia, on Friday, April 12, 2024.
According to a source at the Gambia Embassy in Brussels, Gambian nationals seeking to travel to the Schengen area will now benefit from a reduced visa fee. Effective April 12, 2024, the visa fee has been lowered from €120 to the standard rate of €80.
“The Gambia Embassy in Brussels and Mission to the European Union has been informed that the visa fee for Gambian nationals who wish to travel to the Schengen area has now been reduced from €120 to the standard visa application fee of €80 with effect from 12th April 2024.”
A letter from the European Union (EU) obtained by Kerr Fatou confirms this development, stating, “The Gambia: visa fees down to normal level. Today, the Council decided that the visa fee for nationals of The Gambia who wish to travel to the Schengen area will be reduced from €120 to the standard visa application fee of €80.”
EU states that it was “because of a lack of cooperation of The Gambia as regards readmission of its nationals illegally staying in the EU, the Council had decided in December 2022 to increase the standard application fee for nationals of The Gambia to €120. Since then, The Gambia has substantially and sustainably improved its cooperation on readmission as regards the organisation of return flights and operations.”
The EU had previously increased the visa application fee for Gambian nationals to €120 in December 2022 due to a perceived lack of cooperation on readmission issues. However, The Gambia’s consistent efforts in facilitating return flights and operations have led to the repeal of this second layer of sanctions.
Introduced in the EU’s 2019 visa code, the mechanism linking visa processing to cooperation on readmissions has played a significant role in fostering collaboration with third countries. In response to the initial lack of cooperation from The Gambia in 2021, the EU temporarily suspended various privileges for Gambian nationals, including waivers on document requirements, processing period limitations, issuance of multiple entry visas, and optional fee waivers for diplomatic and service passport holders.
With the recent improvement in readmission cooperation, the EU has rescinded the decision to increase the visa fee, marking a positive step forward in EU-Gambia relations.