UAE wins visa-free travel to Europe


Issue 965 - 06 Mar 2014 | 1 minute read

The European Parliament (EP) voted overwhelmingly in favour of granting UAE citizens visa-free access to the 26-member Schengen area on 27 February, making the UAE the first Arab state to win the privilege. Abu Dhabi – which has already secured visa-free access to the UK – had been lobbying hard for approval from MEPs, and will be relieved that criticism of the UAE’s human rights abuses did not deter 523 parliamentarians out of 577 from voting in favour. Rights activists will be very disappointed that the EP’s unprecedented 2012 chastisement of the UAE for its treatment of detainees and repression of free speech has been put to one side.

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