However, the block also concluded that the 60 euro fee for Turks, in effect since Jan. 1, will continue. Serbia will not be able to profit from the low fee visa for the time being.The agreement, which Macedonia signed with the EU in Brussels on Friday and Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro signed at the Croatian capital of Zagreb on Saturday, also provides measures to ease visa applications for these countries. The deal also concluded "readmission agreements" forcing the countries to take back any of their citizens found to be in the EU illegally. Excluded from the deal is Serbia, which started visa facilitation talks at the same time as its four neighbors, but has yet to finish the negotiations. Belgrade refused to agree to the return of its foreign nationals who had entered EU countries illegally, Internet news portal EUobserver said.
EU interior and justice ministers in an agreement in Luxembourg in April 2006 had increased the Schengen visa fee from 35 euros to 60 euros for 15 countries, including Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. The new fee started to be implemented Jan.1, 2007. The EU then stated the fee increase was not applicable for Russia, while Ukraine and the Balkan countries were given a deadline of one year to make the necessary arrangements before facing the EU's new standards. Shortly before the deadline, however, a new deal was made with four Balkan countries, excluding Serbia, under which the visa fee was decreased.
However Turkey will continue paying 60 euros for the Schengen visa. Children aged under 6, primary school and university students taking part in exchange programs, as well as teachers and academics accompanying them, are excluded from the fee increase. Turkish citizens were reportedly issued 224,000 visas by German offices alone in 2005, and the EU decision has been interpreted to be intended to prevent further visits by Turkish citizens to EU member countries.
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