"The Commission intends to open the negotiations on the visa waiver with the six countries as soon as the negotiating directives will be approved by the Council, thus providing for the full implementation of the existing legal framework", explained Vice-President Franco Frattini, Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security.

Regulation (EC) 1932/2006 (adopted on 21 December 2006) amended Regulation (EC) 539/2001, listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the European Union (negative list), and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (positive list) by - inter alia - transferring six third countries from the negative to the positive list.

These countries were Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Seychelles.

However, the new Regulation makes the implementation of the exemptions from the visa requirement for nationals of these countries dependent on the entry into force of bilateral visa waiver agreements, to be concluded between the European Community and each of the countries in question.

To this end, the Commission prepared recommendations to be submitted to the Council in order to authorise the Commission to negotiate – on behalf of the European Community – such bilateral visa waiver agreements with each of the six countries concerned.

However, the finalisation of these recommendations has been delayed, due to the decision of some of the six countries to introduce a special visa regime for the nationals of several Member States on a temporary basis, for the period of the Cricket World Cup 2007 taking place in the Caribbean Community.