European Parliament votes to impose visa requirements on US citizens

The European Parliament in Brussels has urged the EC to impose visa requirements on US citizens visiting the EU. The March 2 vote by the parliament was the latest episode in a long-running dispute; the US extends its visa waiver scheme to most of the EU’s nations, but excludes Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. EU legislators want the entire bloc to be treated equally. The dispute has rumbled on since 2014. It is thought that the EC is reluctant to impose tit-for-tat visa restrictions on US citizens because of the negative effect it would have on US tourists visiting Europe. A4A said: “A4A continues to believe that the visa waiver program is an important tool which enables our govt to help facilitate the movement of travellers to and from the US, while maintaining the highest levels of security.” <br/>