ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 1, 1993                   TAG: 9307010329
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MADRID, SPAIN                                LENGTH: Short

EUROPEAN NATIONS OK COMMON TOURIST VISA

Nine European nations agreed Wednesday to allow many travelers to move freely across their borders as of Dec. 1, overcoming French concerns about a rise in illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

The group - all the European Community countries except Ireland, Denmark and Britain - had previously agreed to speed up the border-opening process.

The rest of the 12-nation community plans to open borders by 1997, the deadline for EC unification of monetary, defense and other policies.

The nine countries developed a common visa that would allow tourists from 120 countries to cross their borders without immigration formalities. But the target date of Jan. 1 came and went as technical issues and French objections surfaced. - Associated Press 


 by CNB