STA, 16 April 2021 - Slovenia has raised in an informal talk with Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations Maroš Šefčovič the issue of unequal treatment of EU member states by the United Kingdom when it comes to payment of work visas.
After the exit of the UK from the EU, citizens of Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia are not eligible for the EUR 55 discount when applying for a work visa in the UK that is enjoyed by citizens of the remaining EU member states.
The Slovenian Permanent Representation in Brussels said on Friday it had noted in the talk as part of the Committee of Permanent Representatives that this unilateral decision put EU citizens in an unequal position and that the issue needed to be raised in future talks with the UK.
The UK argues that the discount applies only to the countries that signed and ratified the original European Social Charter from 1961.
The five listed countries, which signed and ratified the 1996 Revised Charter, on the other hand maintain that this is discrimination that needs to be eliminated.
