MEPs demand EU action on visa waivers for Americans, Canadians

But Commission warns that imposing restrictions would have serious economic fallout for EU.

MEPs on Wednesday pushed the European Commission to temporarily reintroduce visas for American and Canadian citizens traveling to Europe, saying a decision last week by Brussels to examine the issue did not go far enough.

The move, which parliamentarians said should be done automatically under EU rules, would come in retaliation for restrictions imposed by the U.S. and Canada on some EU countries. Canada currently requires visas from Bulgarians and Romanians while the U.S. does so for citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania — countries it says do not meet its strict requirements for visa-free travel.

The Commission had set an April 12 deadline for the lifting of those restrictions or else it would act to temporarily suspend visa-free travel for U.S. and Canadian citizens under rules established by the Parliament and the Council that require reciprocity.

But the Commission — hoping to avoid a transatlantic political battle that would have significant economic consequences and create logistical difficulties for EU countries if it imposed restrictions on Americans and Canadians — last week sought to buy time by adopting a “political communication” on the state of play and considering the “way forward” on the situation.

That wasn’t enough for Parliamentarians, who argued in a committee hearing Wednesday that the EU should respect its own rules.

Sophie in’t Veld, a Dutch MEP from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group, said the EU should “actively pursue the aim of full reciprocity” from the U.S. and Canada.

“We don’t ‘invite’ the U.S., we expect from them to be treated in a decent manner,” in’t Veld said. “The visa waiver is used by the U.S. to blackmail the EU to use all sorts of security measures. All EU citizens are to be treated equally.”

Another MEP from the liberal group, Sweden’s Cecilia Wikström called the U.S. restrictions “discriminatory and unacceptable.”

Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, a Spanish MEP from the center-right European People’s Party, said the Commission was “obliged to present a delegated act to temporarily suspend the visa policy to third country which don’t respect the reciprocity.”

Belinda Pyke, an official in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, told MEPs that further discussions with the Parliament and Council were needed “within the next three months” before any action can be taken.

“We feel it makes sense to have that discussion now, inviting your views on the substance,” Pyke told MEPs.

She added that introducing visa restrictions on U.S. and Canadian citizens could lead to a loss of €1.8 billion for the EU tourism sector.

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