The European Parliament (EP) gave a landslide 'yes' vote Thursday to approve visa-free status for Taiwanese visitors to 28 European countries. A total of 559 EP members voted 'yes' while 40 members opposed the proposal and 13 representatives abstained. The proposal must be cleared by the Council of the European Union -- expected to take place Dec. 2-3 -- before it can be implemented, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visa-waiver means that Taiwanese nationals will be able to enter the European countries visa-free and stay for up to 90 days within a six-month period, from as early as the end of December, the ministry said. Before the vote, EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told selfnews that the Council of the European Union fully supports the proposal as Taiwan meets all the requirements for eligibility. She forecast that the visa-waiver program will greatly boost economic and trade exchanges between Taiwan and Europe, and that students, researchers, travelers and businessmen will be the main beneficiaries. The visa-waiver program will cover the Schengen Area, which comprises the territories of 25 European countries, including 22 EU member states and three- non EU states -- Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. It is also applicable to three non-Schengen EU member states -- Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. 