eu-com-schengen-coop

Coordination meetings are chaired by the local chair. The local chair is designated by common
accord by the heads of delegation, during their routine meetings, at the end of semester. On the
proposal of the EU Delegation in Korea, HoMs have sought so far to coordinate the local chair with
the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, for convenience, visibility and in order to facilitate
the action of the EU in Korea. Thus Ireland exercised the local chair until end of June 2013 and
Greece from July 2013, in the absence of Lithuania (the group follows the provisions of the
agreement of the EU Council that governs the rotating Presidency in the third countries where the
rotating Presidency lacks diplomatic personnel).
Meeting reports are prepared by the local chair. Participation in these meetings is satisfactory.
Among the 20 EUMS that are present in Korea, around 15 participate in our meetings (including the
EUMS that have not ratified the agreement and the non-EUMS that have ratified it). Even if some
EUMS are more assiduous than others, there is no boycott. Switzerland and Norway attend
meetings (Iceland and Liechtenstein do not have diplomatic representations in Korea). The EU
Delegation in Korea supports the local chair in its coordination work. All meetings take place at the
EU Delegation in Seoul. There is no need to conduct meetings outside Seoul. There was no change
in our way of conducting the consular coordination work in April 2013/March 2014 compared with
the previous year.
3. State of play
3.1 Application of the Visa Code
EUMS are well-prepared and trained to conduct their tasks in the framework of consular
cooperation under the Schengen Visa Code. The role of the EU Delegation in Korea is limited. The
question of its preparation does not appear in the same terms as for the EUMS. It is not foreseen
that the EU Delegation in Korea should chair consular coordination meetings. There is a consensus
that the local chair does its coordination work in a satisfactory manner and that the state of play
should not change.
Some EUMS have relocated their visa processing (e.g.: the requests addressed to the consulate of
the Netherlands in Seoul are dealt by the consulate of the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur).
3.2 Assessment of the need to harmonise the lists of supporting documents
A harmonization work has taken place in the past, which has resulted in a partial harmonisation.
The meetings that were organized this year have not shown that it would be unnecessary to
reinforce this harmonization, due to the low number of C type visas.
3.3 Exchange of information
The coordination of the information related to the issue of visas is now made in Brussels. Statistics
are then disseminated to all EUMS.
We did not have to deal with the issue of medical travel insurance during the period.
In case of fraud, EUMS communicate well with each other and exchange information and
experience.
12893/14 PR/lm 158
DG D 1 A
EN