Antigua and Barbuda Seeks High-Level Meeting With EU Over Visa-Free Travel

Antigua and Barbuda to Step Up Fight to Preserve EU Visa-Free Access, PM Browne Says

Antigua and Barbuda is preparing a high-level diplomatic effort to preserve visa-free access to the European Union as concerns mount over the bloc’s proposed changes to countries operating citizenship by investment programmes, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Saturday.

Browne said the government has not given up hope of persuading European officials to reconsider proposals that could see Antigua and Barbuda lose visa-free travel privileges by the end of the year.

“The European Union has threatened that they could withdraw their visa-free access, potentially by the end of the year. We don’t know for sure they will, but we’re trying to have a high-level engagement with them to see if we can actually get them to reconsider,” Browne said during his weekly Pointe FM programme.

The prime minister said Antigua and Barbuda intends to argue that concerns surrounding citizenship by investment programmes can be addressed through enhanced security measures rather than ending visa-free travel.

Among the proposals the government plans to advance is the introduction of an electronic travel authorization system for citizens of countries operating investment migration programmes.

“We have the view that an electronic travel authorization should be sufficient,” Browne said. “We think that it’s a sensible thing to do to maintain the good relations that we’ve had over the years and not to throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Browne said Antigua and Barbuda has already strengthened its Citizenship by Investment Programme and remains willing to adopt additional safeguards requested by European authorities.

“We have said to them, ‘You run investment immigration programmes; any initiative that you have in place, we’ll put in place.’ The only thing that I think is outstanding right now is the issue of biometrics,” he said.

The prime minister rejected suggestions that Antigua and Barbuda’s programme presents a significant security threat, arguing that no immigration system is entirely immune from abuse.

“We are pretty sure that we have strengthened our programme and that it does not represent any significant risk to any country,” Browne said. “We do accept that you have the residual risk in which from time to time you may end up with one or two crooks. Nothing is foolproof.”

He also argued that larger countries with investor immigration programmes have faced similar challenges.

“Even the EB-5 programme in the United States, they’ve had a lot of crooks. The one in Canada too. But they keep pointing fingers at us as though they are not fallible and as though their programmes have not attracted crooks too,” Browne said.

Browne said Antigua and Barbuda would continue engaging European officials in an effort to preserve the longstanding travel arrangement while demonstrating that the country’s citizenship by investment programme is being administered with integrity.

“I’ve never once overturned any case that was actually rejected by the CIU. We have allowed the unit and the board to operate independently,” he said. “In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, our programme is run with integrity.”

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