More visa rights for Maltese citizens

Maltese tourists travelling to six countries in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean will no longer need a visa following the adoption of six reports this week by the European Parliament.

The new measures will apply to Mauritius, Seychelles, Barbados, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda. The reports were presented by MEP Simon Busuttil, the first to be presented by a Maltese MEP during this legislature.

The visa waiver is valid for EU tourists to these countries for three months within a six month period.

Addressing the European Parliament's plenary session which debated the reports with Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot, Dr Busuttil said these agreements would have a positive impact on EU citizens wishing to travel to these countries for tourism purposes.

Dr Busuttil said the EP gave the green light to these agreements only when it obtained a guarantee that there would be full reciprocity between these six countries and the EU.