Sunday

1st Oct 2023

visa

  • People from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania still need visas to travel to the US (Photo: The Hamster Factor)

US travellers to the EU won't require visas despite demands from the European Parliament.

The European Commission on Tuesday (2 May) told reporters that such a move would not be in the mutual interest of EU citizens.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"The European Union will always choose engagement, commitment, and passionate diplomacy over any form of unilateral retaliation," said EU commissioner for home affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos.

The US administration has so far refused to lift visa requirements on EU nationals from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. Canada had also imposed restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians.

As a result, lawmakers in the EU parliament passed a non-binding resolution in March demanding the EU commission to reintroduce visas for US and Canadian citizens.

The tit-for-tat measure has sparked fears among senior EU officials, who believe the proposed visas would make travelling to the US and Canada more difficult for EU citizens.

Avramopoulos said a ministerial meeting will instead take place in June with US counterparts in an effort to iron out differences.

The commissioner has also been in contact with secretary of US homeland security, John F Kelly, to "clarify many points on these bilateral issues".

But Tuesday's move to maintain visa-free travel for Americans is likely to be viewed as capitulation by an EU parliament, which has threatened to take the commission to the European Court of Justice over the matter.

EU law obliges the commission to impose the visas on the US because of their refusal to lift restrictions on the handful of EU states.

The commission is hoping to convince critics that its marginal success in similar issues with Canada is the best strategy moving forwards.

Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, who have held a Canadian temporary visa in the past ten years or who currently hold valid US non-immigrant visa, are now able to travel visa-free to the country.

The plan is to allow all other Bulgarians and Romanians visa-free travel to Canada by the start of December.

"The rest of Romanian and Bulgarian travellers will become visa free as of December 1st of this year," said Avramopoulos.

EU hopes Trump will back down on visa war

The Commission is hoping that Trump, the incoming US president, will back down in a potential visa war, but terrorist attacks in Europe could make that less likely.

EU and US discuss in-flight laptop ban

A meeting between US and EU officials in Brussels on possibly imposing a laptop ban on commercial flights was described by one senior Trump administration official as "robust".

UK visitors to pay into EU budget after Brexit

The EU Commission says extra revenue generated from a new visa-free travel scheme, to launch in 2020, would go to the EU budget, reducing member state contributions.

Column

Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.

Opinion

Orbán's 'revenge law' is an Orwellian crackdown on education

On Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament passed a troubling piece of legislation known by its critics as the 'revenge law', which aims to punish and intimidate teachers who dare to defy Viktor Orbán's regime. This law is a brutally oppressive tool.

Latest News

  1. EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
  2. Three steps EU can take to halt Azerbaijan's mafia-style bullying
  3. Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war
  4. Added-value for Russia diamond ban, as G7 and EU prepare sanctions
  5. EU states to agree on asylum crisis bill, say EU officials
  6. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  7. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling
  8. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us