With the European Union clearing the final hurdles to including Taiwan into its visa-waiver program Thursday, Taiwan passport holders will be able to visit 35 European countries without a visa from late January next year. The visa exemption will allow Taiwanese citizens to buy an air ticket and fly to Europe whenever they want. They will also be allowed to stay for up to 90 days within a six-month period. The visa-waiver program is estimated to save some NT$1 billion (US$33 million) a year in Schengen visa fees for Taiwanese tourists. About 310,000 Taiwanese nationals on average visit Europe every year. The following are excerpts from the local media coverage of the issue: United Daily News: Taiwan's inclusion in the European Union's visa-waiver program, which comes into effect at the end of January 2011, cleared the last hurdle Thursday in the Council of the European Union in Brussels, Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said. 'It is a great news that Taiwan has been waiting for so long to hear,' Yang said. President Ma Ying-jeou described Taiwan's imminent inclusion in the EU's visa- waiver program as a major accomplishment in the country's diplomatic history. The visa exemption will be of even greater benefit for Taiwanese with business operations in China and their dependents. They now need to apply on the mainland for a Schengen visa to travel to Europe if they have lived on the mainland for over six months, which usually takes long time to complete. (Nov. 26, 2010) China Times: Taiwan passport holders will be able to spend their 2011 Lunar New Year holiday in Europe after the EU visa-waiver program comes into effect at the end of January. The visa exemption will apply to 25 Schengen Area countries, consisting of 22 EU member states and the three-non EU states of Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, as well as the three non-Schengen EU member states of Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. The program will also apply to seven European countries and territories including the Vatican, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It raises the number of European countries granting visa exemption to Taiwanese passport holders to 35. The visa exemption increases the total number of countries granting Taiwan such a privilege to 96, including 75 countries granting Taiwan passport holders a visa-waiver privilege and 21 countries offering Taiwanese visitors a visa on arrival. 'We are working to push the number to 100 by next year, which would then be like a gift to observe the Republic of China's 100th founding anniversary,' an optimistic foreign minister said. (Nov. 26, 2010) 