(Newswire.net — April 2, 2017) — A non-binding resolution has been passed in EU Parliament calling on Brussels to implement a visa regime for Americans traveling to Europe.
The visa regime proposal is a reciprocity measure of EU responding to Washington’s discrimination of Eastern EU citizens.
Equally treatment and reciprocity for all EU citizens are being demanded as the U.S. continues to refuse visa-free access to people from Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania, along with Cyprus. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens from EU countries to enter the United States, however, the U.S. allows visas selectively to Western EU members.
Given that “Washington still does not grant visa-free access to nationals of five EU countries,” the EU parliament issued a press release explaining that the EU Commission is “legally obliged to take measures temporarily reintroducing visa requirements for US citizens.”
The violation of VWP was first reported in April 2014. The European Commission was notified that the U.S. demands visas to Eastern EU citizens, while U.S. citizens can enter the European Union freely.
When notifying Washington about WVP violation in 2014, Brussels gave the U.S. a choice to amend the practice within 24 months. However, the restrictions are still in place.
Brussels notified Washington that unless the U.S. lift visa barriers by April, the European Commission will suspend the visa waiver to U.S. nationals for 12 months. The European Travel commission (ETC) warned, however, that introducing visas to American citizens would echo in a negative impact on the EU’s economy.
Executive director of the ETC, Eduardo Santander, urged the EU Parliament to reconsider visa reciprocity towards Americans. In a letter cited by the Guardian, Santander wrote “Making it more difficult for US citizens to travel to Europe would certainly deprive the European travel and tourism sector of essential revenue, and put thousands of European jobs at stake in one of the few sectors which experienced a strong growth in employment.”
The European Commission has already contacted Donald Trump’s administration in order to avoid these restrictive measures, according to Reuters.
The issue could be resolved at the next EU-U.S. ministerial meeting, which is penciled in for June 15.