European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans in the EU

European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans in the EU

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament wants the EU Commission to temporarily re-impose visa requirements for U.S. citizens visiting the European Union in a standoff over Washington’s failure to grant visa-free travel for nationals of 5 EU countries.

U.S. citizens can travel to all EU countries without visas, but the U.S. hasn’t granted visa-free travel to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

Yesterday the legislature urged the European Commission to act within two months. The Commission was legally bound to propose by last April that visas be reintroduced for U.S. citizens for 12 months but the 28-nation bloc’s member countries preferred to take no action.

Canada and three other countries – Australia, Brunei and Japan – were also facing re-imposed visa requirements in a bid to force visa-waiver reciprocity. All four countries have either lifted or will soon lift their visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens (in Canada’s case, Bulgaria and Romania). The fifth country, the U.S., is the only holdout.

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