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Doc. 8244
28 October 1998
Freedom of movement and issue of visas to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly
Recommendation 1373 (1998)
Reply from the Committee of Ministers
adopted at the 645th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (15 and 18 October 1998)
The Committee of Ministers, at the 645th meeting (20 October 1998, B level) of the Ministers' Deputies, adopted the following decisions and agreed to bring them to the attention of the Assembly:
The Deputies
1. took note of the possible difficulties encountered by members of the Parliamentary Assembly in obtaining visas speedily to enable them to carry out their duties on official journeys to the territories of member States;
2. invited the governments of member States to consider taking one or more of the following measures, in conformity with their national legislation, to ensure that members of the Parliamentary Assembly on official journeys benefit by full entry facilities on the territory of member States:
i. according priority to or at least speedy treatment of requests for visas from members of the Parliamentary Assembly in connection with their official duties, in particular when supported by a Council of Europe service card;
ii. granting long-term multiple entry visas whenever possible;
iii. when the granting of long-term multiple visas is not possible, according priority to the speedy processing of requests for single entry visas;
iv. authorising authorities at ports of entry, in cases of urgency when it has not been possible for the member of the Parliamentary Assembly to obtain a visa prior to departing on an official journey, and when notified of such impossibility by the appropriate domestic authorities, to grant the appropriate visa exceptionally at the port of entry;
v. granting visas free of charge wherever possible;
3. asked the Secretary General to transmit the present decision to member States and to inform the Committee of Ministers in due course of the measures taken to implement it.