Schily Testifies Before Visa Commission

German Interior Minister Otto Schily sharply criticized the Foreign Office's information policy in regard to the granting of visas during his testimony on Friday before the parliamentary commission investigating visa abuses. He said that communication between the Foreign Office and the Interior Ministry had "not always been optimal," which explained why his ministry had not received up to date information about problems at the German embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. The parliamentary commission was set up to investigate a scandal around policies in Ukraine which allowed foreigners easier access to visas for Germany. The result, critics say, was an influx of criminals and illegal workers into Germany.