Euro lawmakers press EU to impose visas on U.S. citizens

[brooklynite]

Source: Reuters

The European Parliament called on the EU executive on Thursday to force Americans to apply for visas before visiting Europe this summer, stepping up pressure to resolve a long-running transatlantic dispute on the issue.

The European Commission stressed it was pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the row, leaving it unlikely that it would act on the vote by lawmakers setting a May deadline to impose visas - a move that could hurt Europe's tourism sector.

Washington refuses to grant visa-free access to people from four east European states and Cyprus, while those from the other 23 member states can enter using the U.S. visa waiver program. EU rules call for equal treatment for all Union citizens.

Commission officials noted a planned EU-U.S. ministerial meeting on June 15 to try and resolve the issue, which has been running since 2014. The EU executive already allowed a deadline for a solution to pass nearly a year ago, without taking action.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-usa-visa-idUSKBN1691Q9

---

Just peachy; I have two more European trips scheduled this year.

[COLGATE4]

1. You can enjoy the thrill of paying $100 (or more) and

then getting your fingerprint and photo taken at Immigration kiosks throughout Europe. I had the same thing happen some years ago in South America (when we first started taking photos of arriving Brazilians). An American Airlines pilot in Rio decided to show his macho by giving them the finger - now Americans have to pay $150 for a Brazilian visa.

[brooklynite]

2. The last time I flew to Rome, the Immigration official didn't even open my Passport...

...as long as it was US, that was good enough.

[COLGATE4]

4. Well, as the saying goes

"That was then, and this is now"
Hopefully this cretin temporarily staying in the White House doesn't screw it up to much for those of us who actually believe there are things worth seeing and ideas worth considering available in Europe. But of by some quirk of fate he doesn't manage to screw it up it'll be just blind luck.

[Ligyron]

3. With Trump denying visas/entry to people from some countries...

I wonder if the EU may be disposed to not granting Americans easy access either. What's good for the goose as they say...

[DK504]

5. This is only the beginning.

Countries all over the world will follow in their foot steps.

[mwooldri]

12. Personally we should force Trump to sign the US into the Schengen Agreement.

I know he won't go for that, but I know his replacement (not a Republican) might go for it under the right circumstances. Why not have the world's largest free travel area?

[turbinetree]

7. Maybe Wilbur Ross the Commerce Sec can get this straightened out

he was after all in the #2 position at the Bank of Cyprus, he knows how "items" lets say operate in Cyprus:

[kskiska]

8. I recall having to get visas for some countries

when traveling back in the early 70s.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. Uhh... Yeah. No.

The Europeans don't have the consular infrastructure in place to do that.

[mwooldri]

11. But they have Schengen.

So you could in theory go to any consulate of any EU country that participates in Schengen and get a Schengen visa. I think Germany, France, Spain and Italy are big enough to have the consular infrastructure for that. Like Europe but not the EU? Hey - the Swiss can get you a Schengen visa too!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. Many European consulates in North America are largely ceremonial

They don't have the administrative capacity to issue visas in any large number.

I used to work with someone who was theoretically a Consul General. There was no visa office, there was no trade mission, he had no staff. He worked out of his normal office and occasionally handled overseas birth registrations and a handful of student and work visas. He was paid something like $40,000 a year for this and he was probably overpaid for the workload.

[mwooldri]

10. IMO should go right ahead and impose the visa restriction.

When it comes to free travel, it's not the EU to look at but the Schengen Agreement.

It's not equal - a US Citizen can come on over to a Schengen country without a visa for tourism. Poland is a Schengen country. However a Polish citizen, a member of the EU and of Schengen, needs a visa to visit the USA for tourism.

But again Schengen isn't the deal breaker. Bulgaria and Cyprus - EU members - allow US citizens in for 90 days with no visa for tourism. Not the other way around.

EU should make it simple. All Schengen countries need to have visa free reciprocity with the USA, and all EU countries need to get into Schengen.