Sarah speaking about the Community Code on visas

Speech by Sarah Ludford (on behalf of the ALDE group) delivered to European Parliament on Wed 1st Apr 2009

Mr President, my regulation on biometric visas is now being incorporated in this new visa code, so I feel I have a little bit of ownership of it. It will work with the visa information system, for which I was the rapporteur.

The whole result not only improves the security of visas, but, as others have said, also convenience for visa applicants. That was Mr Cashman's aim for the Borders Code. So I feel that MEPs have delivered on those two aims.

I hope that biometrics improving the reliability of the link between the applicant and the document will mean that fewer people get turned away unjustifiably. Mr Lax has worked strongly, as Mr Cashman said, on improving service for applicants, and thus the image of the EU. Ninety-nine point nine per cent of people who want to come to the EU want to do so for trade, travel and tourism, and we want them to, as it is good for business, but, if they get a poor service and are handled badly, then they will not feel warmly about the EU.

Mr Lax has done a great job.