OSCE/ODIHR releases study on visa requirements and cross-border mobility in the OSCE region

VIENNA, 15 May 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today released the first study of its kind demonstrating how visa requirements affect the movement of people across borders in the OSCE region.

The Baseline Study on Cross-Border Mobility in the OSCE Region focuses on good practices in operating visa regimes to facilitate cross-border travel for legitimate purposes, while responding to illegal immigration, and was launched in Vienna at a two-day expert roundtable on cross-border mobility and visa facilitation.

“The Baseline Study is intended to help policymakers, civil society organizations and think tanks in OSCE participating States better understand the current situation with regard to movement across borders in the region,” said Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of ODIHR. “We hope this will help them identify good practices in the implementation of OSCE commitments on freedom of movement and human contacts.”

The roundtable gathered official representatives and visa policy experts from OSCE participating States, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the World Tourism Organization and the European Stability Initiative. 

Good practices in national and regional visa facilitation policies discussed at the meeting included different approaches to processing visa applications, such as the use of online tools and other information technology solutions.