The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said there was no timetable in Taiwan’s possible inclusion in a European visa-waiver program but that things were moving in a “positive direction.”
A Central News Agency report quoted Chiu Jong-jen (邱仲仁), the director-general of the Department of the European Affairs, as saying that if things go well, Taiwan could be part of the Schengen Agreement’s short-term visa-waiver program as early as April next year.
Chiu said the proposal to include Taiwan in the program would hopefully be ratified by the end of this month before seeking approval from the Council of Europe and the European Parliament (EP), but that the newly signed Lisbon Treaty, which will bring a dramatic change in the EU governance system, could delay the process.
Charles Tannock, the chairman of the Taiwan Friendship Group in the EP, told reporters yesterday that in his exchanges with the Cyprus ambassador he had said: “I managed to achieve one little goal for the friends of Taiwan, namely they [Cyprus] will no longer obstruct the EU’s gradual process towards granting short-term Taiwanese visitors visa-free status in the Schengen Area, and this hopefully will happen early next year.”
Taiwan has been lobbying for visa-waiver privileges to Schengen countries for a number of years. Recently, the UK and Ireland agreed to grant six-month visa-free privileges to Taiwanese passport holders.
The European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan declined to comment on the matter.
MOFA Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政), who was more reserved when asked about the timetable, said the ministry was working hard on achieving the status. The developments have been positive so far, he said.
In his speech, Tannock praised Taiwan as a highly valued trading partner to the EU and said that the global credit crunch would serve as a “wake-up call” and encourage both sides to forge a Taiwan-EU Trade Enhancement Measure similar to a free-trade agreement.
Tannock, who publicly supports Taiwan’s bid for more participation in international organizations, also said that despite the lack of formal ties with any of the 27 EU countries, Taiwan still has many friends in the EU bloc and the country’s thriving democracy could be a positive influence on China.
Meanwhile, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday that Taiwan hoped to develop closer relations with Ireland.
Wu told visiting members of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Society — led by John Perry, a member of Ireland’s parliament — that Taiwan cherishes and values its friendship with Ireland.
Wu said developing closer ties between the two nations was important and that both Taiwan and Ireland should pursue more cooperation in culture, education and trade.
The premier said that as cross-strait relations improve, Taiwan also hopes to better relations with Europe, the US and Japan.
“Taiwan does not want to become a flashpoint in the world,” he said, adding that it wants to be a responsible member of the global village.
Taiwan has been actively seeking to join the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization to share information about energy saving and aviation with the rest of the world, Wu said.
The Executive Yuan held a meeting on Oct. 12 to finalize the nation’s strategy for seeking participation in the UNFCCC and hoped to join the next meeting planned for December in Copenhagen.
Wu also said Taiwan hoped to gain full membership at the WHO despite the fact it was only an observer at the World Health Assembly this year.
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