Working to raise young people's awareness of European Citizenship, AEGEE members believe that mobility is a key element in the future of cooperation and peace in Europe. That is why AEGEE has started lobbying for changes in visa procedures since its foundation, 20 years ago.

Mobility problems of our members have become more severe in the past few years. The strict rules have many times already impaired AEGEE members from Eastern and South Eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina etc.) to participate, equally, as their colleagues from EU countries at seminars, conferences, schools, the Socrates Programme which were supposed to have positive impact on these individuals, make them take action in their own hands and act as Active Citizens.

We promote an open approach, so eventually even the non-Schengen countries can join our activities easily. We believe that we should not continue to build a Union, which closes itself to the rest of the world. A democratic and stable Europe must be open!

There is still a long way to go before breaking down the mental and physical borders that still divide Europe,, but we believe that this step brings us closer to the principles of the Bologna Process and in a similar way to the involvement in youth affairs for everybody, from all the corners of the Continent.

That is why we call on the EU to take immediate steps to review its visa policy, with the aim of abolishing visas for visitors from the SEE and EECA countries.