STA, 23 February 2021 - Slovenia is working with member states whose nationals must pay higher fees for UK work visas to end this discrimination, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan said on Tuesday.
Member states which are discriminated against raised this issue at Tuesday's meeting of Europe ministers. "There is of course solidarity between member states to go ahead with the ambition to end this discrimination," he said.
Dovžan would not speculate on the reasons for the difference in fees beyond saying that the issue concerns which version of the social charter which member state ratified; Slovenia ratified the latest version.
He noted that the exit agreement as well as the agreement on future relations determines bodies competent to address such issues. These fora will be used if this issue is not resolved otherwise.
After the UK left the EU, nationals of Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia are not entitled to a 55-pound discount on work visa fees that other EU nationals are eligible for.
Slovenian MEPs have recently said the EU must insist on equal treatment of all EU nationals.
