Libya's decision to deny entry to citizens from the European Union's Schengen area is "unilateral and disproportionate", the European Commission said in a statement today, without elaborating on reactions from the EU's side, according to dpa. No official explanation was given for Tripoli's actions, but according to press reports it follows Switzerland's decision to ban more than 180 Libyan officials from its territory. Switzerland is one of the 25 members of the border-free Schengen zone. "The European Commission deplores the unilateral and disproportionate decision by Libyan authorities to suspend the delivery of visas to EU Schengen countries' citizens. The Commission also regrets that travellers who legally obtained visas before the suspension measure were refused entry when arriving in Libya", said EU commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom. She added that the commission is set to discuss the issue "before the end of the week" with Schengen countres, with a view to "consider the appropriate reaction." Relations between Switzerland and Libya have soured since July 2008, when police in Geneva questioned Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi's son, Hannibal, and his wife following a complaint that they had abused domestic staff at their hotel.
