The European Parliament passed a proposal Thursday to grant visa-free privileges to Taiwanese nationals entering the 28 European countries, following the inclusion of Taiwan in visa-waiver programs for the United Kingdom and for Ireland.
The proposal still needs to clear the Council of the European Union before it can be implemented, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said later that day. The visa-waiver program will cover the Schengen Area, which comprises the territories of 25 European countries, including 22 EU member states and three-non EU states — Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The visa-waiver program is also applicable to three non-Schengen EU member states