Author Topic: Possible Option for Visa-free Britons to enter Greece, in case of No-Deal Brexit  (Read 3920 times)

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Offline BeeTee

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Greece is looking for options to allow British tourists and expats to continue visit and stay in the country visa-free even if there is Brexit without deal. The Greek government aims to allow Britons to enter the country without visa after the UK exits the European Union.

“A no-deal Brexit would mean that the UK will sign bilateral agreements with EU member states and the rules will be set according to reciprocity,” diplomatic sources told KTG. Of course, this is just in case that “there will be no central exit deal with Brussels,” the sources added.

According to bloomberg, the Greek government is moreover preparing draft bill for the no-deal departure.
Visitors from the U.K. are the second biggest source of tourism income, Greece’s most important industry. A sudden disruption in the flow of some 3 million Britons who visit Greek islands every year could be a shock to a sector that accounts for about a sixth of Greece’s annual economic output.

The Greek government is preparing draft bills and presidential degrees that will be needed in case of a so-called hard Brexit, a foreign ministry official told bloomberg. There has been no official statement from the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the preparations since its working assumption is that a deal will be struck between the two sides.

With its planned Brexit measures, Greece is keen to protect a key part of its economy. Visitors from the U.K. accounted for more than 14 percent of the country’s tourism income in the January to November period in 2017. That slipped last year by 6.2 percent to 1.9 billion euros ($2.18 billion), according to Bank of Greece data. The number of British visitors fell by 1.7 percent to 2.9 million people.

The government wants to ensure that the numbers don’t slide further in case of a no-deal Brexit. To this end, among the measures Greece is considering is to maintain the visa-free status for people coming from the U.K. Also, Greece will probably retain the status of U.K. citizens living in the country and not treat them as so-called citizens from third countries, or people from non-EU countries, the official said, according to bloomberg.

One more reason for Athens are the thousands of Greeks who left the country during the economic crisis for UK as well as the thousands of students.

I suppose also Italy, Portugal and Spain may follow the Greek visa scheme. No south-European country would like to miss British tourists…

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/01/31/visa-free-for-britons-to-enter-greece-in-case-of-no-deal-brexit/?fbclid=IwAR0lNPX7bdVq0Hz97WHFm_dIbKkD7nx2S_MpGxcGm7hBIeDIlSX6_E46TQ0

Offline Maik

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Re: Possible Option for Visa-free Britons to enter Greece, in case of No-Deal Brexit
« Reply #1 on: Friday, 01 February, 2019 @ 11:34:28 »
The Bloomberg article makes sense in so much that incoming UK tourism is vital to the Greek economy and I'm pretty sure the Greek government will make arrangements to keep the tourists flowing in. That bit's not rocket science. However, the alleged information is from an unnamed source, could be a ministry official, could be a bloke down the pub. "There has been no official statement from the government".

Apologies, but so much misinformation and lies surrounding Brexit that I wanted to point that out.

Offline Maik

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Re: Possible Option for Visa-free Britons to enter Greece, in case of No-Deal Brexit
« Reply #2 on: Friday, 01 February, 2019 @ 14:42:50 »
Big controversy about Gibraltar in the UK press but in there somewhere the EU have decided to allow visa-free travel:

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EU to grant Britain visa-free travel even with no-deal Brexit

If Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, UK citizens should still be able to visit the bloc visa-free for up to 90 days, ambassadors of the remaining 27 EU nations said on Friday. The 90 days can be taken in any 180-day period, the envoys said in Brussels.

In a statement published on the European Council website, ambassadors said that the visa exemption was "granted on condition of reciprocity," meaning that the UK was also expected not to demand visas from EU citizens for short stays.
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-to-grant-britain-visa-free-travel-even-with-no-deal-brexit/a-47322372

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Possible Option for Visa-free Britons to enter Greece, in case of No-Deal Brexit
« Reply #3 on: Friday, 01 February, 2019 @ 17:56:01 »
I am sure that in the event of a no-deal, many countries will offer reciprocal arrangements and many have already indicated that. While the UK Government keep arguing about a deal, there cannot be any formal agreements, but behind the scenes, preparations are already under way.