European lawmakers have agreed to overhaul the EU’s visa suspension mechanism in a move that could see Israeli citizens lose their right to travel freely across Europe without visas.

Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional agreement Tuesday to expand grounds for suspending visa-free travel to include breaches of international human rights or humanitarian law, and non-compliance with international court decisions.

Under the new provisions, European Commission officials can impose a one-year suspension through an implementing act that only needs approval from member states and can be blocked by a qualified majority.

Extensions require a delegated act, which either Council or Parliament can block.

“This tool helps us deliver the values that have built our community and allows us to enforce human rights and respect for international law,” Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec, the bill’s rapporteur, tells Euronews. “No specific country is being targeted.”

However, European Parliament sources in the report reveal that several political groups pushed for including human rights violations, specifically with Israel in mind.

Citizens from 61 countries, including Israel, the UK, Japan, and Australia, can currently enter the Schengen area for up to 90 days without a visa.

For Israelis, losing this access would mark a significant diplomatic and practical blow, affecting hundreds of thousands who travel to Europe annually.

Until now, Brussels had only suspended visa-free access once, for Vanuatu, due to its citizenship-by-investment scheme that allowed wealthy Russians to buy passports.

Formal approval by both the European Parliament and Council is still needed before this becomes EU law.

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