Americans and Canadians need to be aware and be prepared. The European Union is considering that the citizens of these two countries be required to apply for visas if they want to go to Europe even if only for a short break.
This move is an apparent reaction to what these two North American countries have been requiring citizens of the EU. Officials of the EU say these two nations are still compelling their citizens to apply for a visa when they travel to the USA and Canada, so they might as well require Americans and Canadians to do the same thing too.
Currently, these two North American peoples only need a passport when they visit any nation in the EU. But visitors from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Poland and Romania need a visa when they visit the U.S.A., while Canada also requires visas for Bulgarians and Romanians.
"The objective here is to achieve full visa waiver reciprocity for citizens of all member states and this is a priority for the European Union," said Mina Andreeva, a European Commission spokesperson.
Andreeva also stated that EU regulations call for the Commission to recommend reciprocal visa requirements for countries that don't provide visa-free entry for EU citizens. But both the EU member states and the European Parliament have the power to refuse the proposal of the Commission.
"A political debate and decision is obviously needed on such an important issue. But there is a real risk that the EU would move towards visas for the two (Americans and Canadians)," stated an EU source.
However, whether such a move is practical is debatable considering that it could have serious repercussions on the EU's large and profitable tourist industry.
The U.S. mission to Brussels noted that any recommendation by the Commission to introduce this visa requirement could be overruled they the European Council or the Parliament which is tasked to harmonize the 28 EU leaders especially when foreign policy is concerned.
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