The new rules approved by the EP on 9 March put an end to a “simply unacceptable” situation, according to Carlos Coelho, a Portuguese member of the EPP group, who drafted the report. “More than 1 million people were affected by these restrictions last year,” he said during a debate in plenary,

Foreign students will benefit

“We are speaking about absurd situations, such as a student who is granted a visa to attend a course in Belgium and cannot travel to a specialised library in the Netherlands to obtain information for the purposes of writing his thesis, or to Barcelona for a weekend visit,” he said.  “Foreign students coming to the EU will be the main beneficiaries of the new legislation”.

At present, long-stay visa holders - for example students, scientists, academics, family members of third-country nationals and EU citizens - are not allowed to travel to other member states during their stay, nor pass through other states when returning to their country of origin. This is out of line with one of the founding principles of the EU, the free movement of persons, and could make Europe less attractive for scientists and academics from third countries.

Lithuanian Socialist Vilija Blinkevičiūt said the current situation “breaches the legitimate expectations of citizens from third countries who come to work or study in the EU”. She gave the example of long-haul truck drivers, who are precluded from performing their duties.

“It is a loss for the mobility of our work force, of our scientific community and...it is also a great loss for the knowledge society,” said Rui Tavares, a Portuguese MEP from the GUE/NGL group.

No added security risks

It doesn't just affect those working or studying. For example, a Moroccan living in France who wants to go home cannot cross Spain to get to Morocco, his only option is a direct flight. French Liberal Nathalie Griesbeck welcomed the greater freedom this would provide.

The new rules allow people with a long-stay visa (valid for more than 3 months) to travel under the same terms as someone holding a residence permit - they can travel to another EU country for up to 3 months in any half year.  The long-stay visa is limited to 1 year. A third-country national wishing to say longer must apply for a residence permit.

Some MEPs raised concerns about security but Mr Coelho said, there will be “no extra security risks” in the Schengen area, since the alerts and controls of Schengen will be in place.

The new rules will not apply to the UK or Ireland, which are not part of the Schengen area. Denmark has 6 months to decide whether or not it will apply the new rules.