eu-com-schengen-coop

3.7 Any other initiative taken in LSC
The list of MS representations and representation agreements is regularly updated and circulated at
local level.
As agreed amongst MS, since July 2012, a table of visa statistics is sent by EU Delegation to MS in
Astana and Almaty and Brussels every month on the basis of information provided by Embassies to
the EU Delegation. Further improvement is needed with regard to the regularity and frequency of
submission of visa data by some MS.
Most Schengen member states have been approached by Diplomatic service of KZ (UPDK) with
query of accreditation as an commercial intermediate for submitting Schengen visa applications on
behalf of the applicants (without personal appearance). As UPDK is not able to fulfil all legal
requirements set by Article 47 of the Visa Code, the position on the request by all MS was negative.
EU Delegation disseminated amongst EU MS information related to consular matters published in
local press.
4. Challenges in 2013-2014
In 2013-2014 the main challenges before the LSC group were connected with the introduction of
VIS and the related workload and the installation of equipment at the consular services.
Another source of challenge in the work of the consular offices was related to the continuous
evolution of the Kazakhstan visa regime and the associated registration procedure. The
implementation of these re-defined regulations was characterised by discrepancies and various
practices. In all likelihood further careful monitoring on the processes will be needed on behalf of
the LSC group, and if needed formal interventions coordinated by the EU Delegation are to
undertaken.
The immediate future may have some challenges in store for the LSC group, in particular, in view
of the possible migration influx, influenced by the situation in and around Afghanistan.
5. Other issues
The visa issues remained central in the EU-Kazakhstan relations. The Kazakh side raised the
request for visa facilitation agreement at the highest level: during the meeting between the
Presidents Nazarbayev and Barroso in Davos in February 2014; in the telephone conversation
between President Barroso and the new Prime Minister Massimov in April 2014, during the
meetings between Foreign Minister Idrissov and Director Gunnar Wiegand in May 2014.
The Kazakhstan's position is persistent and a part of a concerted continuous campaign. On 23
September 2013 the First Deputy FM Rapil Zhoshybayev raised before the EU MS Ambassadors
and Consuls the request of KZ for visa simplification treatment of its citizens, singling out the
following arguments: reciprocity (Kazakhstan has simplified the procedure for 48 countries
including all the EU member states), the absence of immigration risks from KZ, the existence of
bilateral arrangements with most of the EU MS (on diplomatic passports – 23 plus 5 more planned
for 2014), the rising necessity for business travel in relation to EXPO-2017, the improved KZ travel
documents, and the recent agreements on five year multiple entry visas with the US, as well for fast
track business visas with the UK.
12893/14 PR/lm 108
DG D 1 A
EN