EU considers introducing visas for North Americans

American and Canadian citizens could soon need visas to enter EU countries even for a short visit, under new plans being discussed by the European Union.

Currently, Canadians and Americans need only a passport when visiting any European Union countries, although visitors to the US from EU nations Croatia, Poland, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania need a visa. Bulgarians and Romanians also need a visa to visit Canada.

The European Commission deems this to be highly unfair and is considering imposing stricter visa controls on North American visitors unless the country adds more European countries to the list of those whose citizens can travel without a visa.

“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 spokesperson for the European Commission.

However, the US government has responded by stating that not all of the countries in questions have met the requirements for its Visa Waiver Program as yet.

The EU is set to decide in July whether or not to impose tighter visa controls on American and Canadian citizens, by which time the UK’s own future in the Union should be clearer.

Article by David Fuller