ALERT: European Union- Parliament Passes NON-BINDING Resolution to Introduce Visa for US Travelers (March 2, 2017)

March 2, 2017

Earlier today, the European Union (EU) Parliament passed a non-binding resolution that would introduce visas for US citizens wishing to travel throughout the EU.

However, in order for the visa requirement to move forward, EU member states would have to approve the move, which would likely take years. The vote was in response to US rules requiring citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania to have visas in order to enter the United States.

According to BBC:

US citizens should be refused visa-free access to the EU in response to American visa rules affecting citizens from five EU countries, the European Parliament has said.

Citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania are currently denied visa-free access to the US.

The European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution on Thursday. However, member states would have to approve the move, a process that could take years.

Nevertheless, the resolution, passed by a show of hands, said the new visa rules should come into effect quickly and should remain in place until the US visa requirements were shelved.

Under these rules, “if a third country does not lift its visa requirements within 24 months of being notified of non-reciprocity, the EU Commission must adopt a delegated act… suspending the visa waiver for its nationals for 12 months”, the statement said.

It said a notification of non-reciprocity was first received in April 2014 – meaning the Commission should have taken action in April 2016 – but so far it has yet to do so.

Canada also has visa requirements for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, the statement said, but it has announced that these will be shelved in December.

In January, President Donald Trump attempted to introduce a travel ban on people from seven mainly Muslim nations but it was blocked in the courts. He is working on a new executive order.