The Independent :
The European Parliament voted to suspend visa-free travel for US citizens to the economic and political bloc on Thursday (2 March), in a move that is expected to put more pressure on the European Commission to resolve the tourism row.
The dispute first erupted in 2014 when the Commission was informed that five countries, including Australia, Canada and the US, were not meeting their obligations towards the EU with the reciprocity of visa-free travel.
The EU Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee said that the Commission should have acted within 24 months of the notification and suspend the visa agreement for 12 months.
But citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania still cannot enter America without a visa, while US citizens can travel to all 28 EU nations visa-free. MEPs urged the Commission to adopt the necessary legal measures “within two months” on Thursday.
“We take note of the resolution voted yesterday by the European Parliament,” a spokesperson for the European Commission told IBTimes UK.
“Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos was in the US recently to re-launch our efforts to push for full visa reciprocity with the new US administration. “Our approach of continued engagement and patient diplomatic contacts brought tangible results with Canada. Our assessment of the situation with the US has not changed and we will continue our discussions.
“At the same time, the Commission will continue to work closely with both the European Parliament and the Council and will report on further progress before the end of June.”
Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens.
The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.
In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.
But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.
Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.
Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.
Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.” Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).
Currently foreign travellers must pay a fee of $14 (£11) when they complete ESTA, an automated online system that determines their eligibility to travel to the US.
“British people are now used to the US ESTA scheme and, therefore, we view with interest how the European scheme might develop and what similarities, and differences, there may be to the US scheme,” Mr Goodwill said.
The European Parliament voted to suspend visa-free travel for US citizens to the economic and political bloc on Thursday (2 March), in a move that is expected to put more pressure on the European Commission to resolve the tourism row.
The dispute first erupted in 2014 when the Commission was informed that five countries, including Australia, Canada and the US, were not meeting their obligations towards the EU with the reciprocity of visa-free travel.
The EU Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee said that the Commission should have acted within 24 months of the notification and suspend the visa agreement for 12 months.
But citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania still cannot enter America without a visa, while US citizens can travel to all 28 EU nations visa-free. MEPs urged the Commission to adopt the necessary legal measures “within two months” on Thursday.
“We take note of the resolution voted yesterday by the European Parliament,” a spokesperson for the European Commission told IBTimes UK.
“Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos was in the US recently to re-launch our efforts to push for full visa reciprocity with the new US administration. “Our approach of continued engagement and patient diplomatic contacts brought tangible results with Canada. Our assessment of the situation with the US has not changed and we will continue our discussions.
“At the same time, the Commission will continue to work closely with both the European Parliament and the Council and will report on further progress before the end of June.”
Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens.
The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.
In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.
But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.
Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.
Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.
Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.” Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).
Currently foreign travellers must pay a fee of $14 (£11) when they complete ESTA, an automated online system that determines their eligibility to travel to the US.
“British people are now used to the US ESTA scheme and, therefore, we view with interest how the European scheme might develop and what similarities, and differences, there may be to the US scheme,” Mr Goodwill said.
