Marieluise Beck: We cannot let “iron curtain” reappear :: Charter'97 :: News

The Deputies of the German parliament’s fraction Bundnis 90/Green Party and Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDPG) submitted proposal to reduce the German visa price for the Belarusians for discussion in Bundestag, said Marieluise Beck, a Bundestag deputy from the fraction Bundnis 90/Green Party in an interview to Deutsche Welle.

The price for the Schengen visa has risen up to EURO 60 for the Belarusians earlier this year. In the view of the proposal initiator, Green Party deputy Marieluise Beck, the rise in the price limits the Belarusians’ freedom for traveling and prevents the country which is now politically isolated from getting open for the world.

To improve the situation, Germany proposes to reduce the price of the Schengen visa for the Belarusians. This issue was out for discussion in Bundestag Thursday; afterwards it is supposed to be passed to the German Government’s consideration.

It was planned initially that the application for the price reduction would be submitted both by the ruling party fractions’ coalition and the opposition - this would by the way simplify significantly the procedure of adopting the application at the governmental level.

Nevertheless, after long discussions the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) / Christian Social Union (CSU) and FDPG declined the initial plan on absolute reduction for the visa price for all Belarusians up to EURO 35. Moreover, the representatives of the ruling party fractions’ coalition rejected the opposition’s proposal to abolish payment for visa for people younger than 26 and for advocates.

Marieluise Beck says:

“Before submitting the application to Bundestag, long talks had been held within the coalition. The Foreign Ministry is convinced that the limitation of freedom of traveling for the countries with poor democracy contradicts Germany’s concerns. But the Home Ministry regards the problem from the point of view of security policy. Thus, we got no clear reply from the coalition, so we submit applications separately.”

So the parliament fractions CDU/CSU and FDPG propose to give the German Consulate in Minsk the right to decide whether to reduce the visa price or to grant it for free.

According to Marieluise Beck, such a caution showed by the ruling fractions representatives is induced by the visa scandal which took place in Germany two years ago: the simplification of visa grating rules caused machinations and misuses.

Marieluise Beck deems, this anxiety is groundless in case of visa price reduction for the citizens of Belarus, since it is a matter of price reduction, not the simplification of the procedure of granting the visa.

The member of the Bundestag parliament committee on foreign policy is convinced that the high price for visa of EURO 60 can discourage the Belarusians from visiting Germany, which Lukashenka’s regime can benefit from:

“We cannot let a new “iron curtain” appear between Belarus and Europe because of the rise of the visa price. Our failure to achieve our goals will mean that we help Lukashenka keep his people under lock and key.”

After the EU raised the Schengen visa price all the CIS countries applied for the price reduction. Belarus was the only state who didn’t apply. According to Marieluise Beck, this indicates of the fact that the official Minsk is not interested in foreign trips of the Belarusians.
The voting on the issue of the visa price reduction for the Belarusians is to be held in Bundestag in autumn later this year.