BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Thursday, January 29, 2026, formally adopted its inaugural comprehensive EU Visa Strategy alongside a new five-year European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy, outlining a more assertive, coordinated, and balanced approach to migration, visas, and border management amid evolving geopolitical and economic realities.
The proposals were presented at a joint press conference by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen (Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy) and Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner. The announcements follow the College of Commissioners' meeting and build on the implementation of the 2024 Pact on Migration and Asylum, set to apply fully from mid-2026.
Virkkunen described the visa strategy as "the first-ever comprehensive EU visa strategy," designed to deploy visas in a "more strategic, coordinated, and assertive way" that reflects current global conditions. "We are setting out our new way forward: A balanced migration policy," she stated, emphasizing the need to attract talent for Europe's economic growth and competitiveness.
Key elements include recommendations to reduce administrative burdens, provide operational support to applicants, and simplify legal frameworks through future revisions of the Visa Code (planned for 2026). The strategy explores a "targeted, very fast EU-visa scheme" for start-ups and scale-ups to draw high-skilled innovators. It also pushes for a fully digital visa process, leveraging the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) rollout in 2026 and aiming for complete digitalisation by 2028. Facilitations for students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers are prioritized, alongside longer multi-entry visas for frequent travelers and expedited processing for trusted companies.
Virkkunen underscored that visas serve as a tool to advance EU interests, enhance security screening, and respond to regional instability.
Commissioner Brunner focused on the responsibilities tied to visa-free travel, likening it to a "traffic light" system. Third countries must meet objective criteria—such as low visa refusal rates and high return rates—to earn and maintain visa-free access. "Earning the green light is not the end of the story," he said, noting continuous monitoring and dialogue to ensure ongoing compliance. If obligations are not met, visa-free privileges can be suspended "without hesitation."
For visa-required countries, the EU will strengthen leverage by linking visa conditions more closely to cooperation on returns, border protection, security, and combating illegal migration. Brunner announced upgrades to the readmission system under Article 25a of the Visa Code, enabling faster action against non-cooperative partners, and measures to connect visa rules to broader priorities beyond readmission.
The Asylum and Migration Management Strategy sets a five-year roadmap with three core objectives: preventing irregular migration and dismantling smuggling networks, protecting those in genuine need of international protection, and attracting skills and talent to address labor shortages. It emphasizes proactive migration diplomacy along migratory routes—acting "long before people go on dangerous journeys"—through partnerships with origin and transit countries, linking cooperation to trade, aid, and visa policies.
Brunner highlighted the need for "migration diplomacy" to reduce arrivals through external engagement, reinforced border controls via digital systems (including Entry/Exit System and ETIAS), and mandatory screening for irregular arrivals from June 2026 under the Pact.
Both commissioners reaffirmed the EU's commitment to fair, efficient, and humane management, balancing security, competitiveness, and humanitarian obligations. The strategies aim to make Europe safer, more prosperous, influential globally, and administratively efficient.
The proposals now move to the European Parliament and Council for discussion and potential adoption. Implementation will unfold alongside the full rollout of the Pact on Migration and Asylum in mid-2026, with ongoing monitoring through annual cycles.
The announcements reflect the Commission's push for a rules-based, interest-driven migration framework in a multipolar world marked by mobility pressures, labor needs, and geopolitical competition.
