In response to the US denying visa-free travel to citizens of Croatia, Cyprus, Poland. Bulgaria and Romania, the European Parliament is leaning on its executive body, the European Commission, to enact a year-long suspension of visa-free travel for US citizens.

The parliament claimed that it was "legally obliged" to address the issue as they were first notified in April 2014 that the US would not reciprocate the visa waiver right, along with Brunei, Japan, Canada and Australia.

The European Parliament released a statement saying that "if a 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."

One commission official said that parties on both sides are in talks "to push for full visa reciprocity," but that no immediate action will be taken on the issue. The parliament wants the measure in place "within two months," and the commission is set to report on its progress by the end of June.

Japan, Australia, and Brunei have lifted their restrictions, and by the end of the year Canada is set to do the same.

Such restrictions could have a negative impact on European tourism revenue, and the commission is pushing to diplomatically resolve what some have deemed to be a "visa war."

"The effect of terrorism in Europe in recent years emphasised how fragile our appeal is as a destination in long-haul markets," said Tourism Task Force chair and parliament member István Ujhelyi, according to the Telegraph, "This is not a time to put unnecessary obstacles in the way of one of the sectors most capable of generating employment."

Eduardo Santander, executive director of the European Travel Commission said in a joint letter with the Network for the European Private Sector in Tourism sent to Parliament members, "We fully understand and respect the visa waiver reciprocity mechanism embedded in European legislation to ensure that all nationals of Member States part of Schengen can benefit on equal terms from exemption of visa requirement."

The letter continued, "However, we are very concerned about the economic and political impact of a suspension of visa waiver for US nationals. Making it more difficult for US citizens to travel to Europe would certainly deprive the European travel and tourism sector of essential revenue, and put thousands of European jobs at stake in one of the few sectors which experiences a strong growth in employment."</s>United States citizens should be denied visa-free access to the European Union before summer because Washington does not allow some EU nationals to enter there without visa, EU lawmakers said in a vote on Thursday.

The European Parliament vote is set to put pressure on the European Commission, the EU’s executive, to enforce a one-year suspension as a tit-for-tat measure for Washington’s denial of visa-free access to citizens of Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, all members of the 28-country bloc.

A Commission official said contacts are ongoing with the US administration “to push for full visa reciprocity,” but fell short of saying that immediate action will be taken.

The Parliament, by a show of hands, urged the Commission to adopt restrictive measures against US citizens “within two months”.

“The Commission will report on further progress before the end of June 2017,” the EU executive official said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

EU rules say that a decision to end visa-free access should be taken within two years from a first notice to countries that do not grant free access to EU citizens.

The first notification of the US lack of reciprocity was sent in April 2014. Parliament argues that as a result the Commission has been “legally obliged” to take measures.

Canada also imposes visa requirements on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, but it has announced that they will be lifted in December.</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament is pushing for the bloc’s executive to temporarily reimpose visa requirements for U.S. citizens visiting the European Union in a standoff over Washington’s failure to grant visa-free travel for nationals of five EU countries.

The legislature on Thursday urged the European Commission to act within two months. The Commission was legally bound to propose by last April that visas be reintroduced for U.S. citizens for 12 months but the 28-nation bloc’s member countries preferred to take no action.

U.S. citizens can travel to all EU countries without visas but the U.S. hasn’t granted visa-free travel to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The Commission has cautioned that suspending the visa waiver for Americans would also hurt trade, tourism and the European economy.</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament is pushing for the bloc’s executive to temporarily reimpose visa requirements for U.S. citizens visiting the European Union in a standoff over Washington’s failure to grant visa-free travel for nationals of five EU countries.

The legislature on Thursday urged the European Commission to act within two months. The Commission was legally bound to propose by last April that visas be reintroduced for U.S. citizens for 12 months but the 28-nation bloc’s member countries preferred to take no action.

U.S. citizens can travel to all EU countries without visas but the U.S. hasn’t granted visa-free travel to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The Commission has cautioned that suspending the visa waiver for Americans would also hurt trade, tourism and the European economy.</s>The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.

It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – as part of a reciprocity agreement. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa.

The vote urges the revocation of the scheme within two months, meaning Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months after the European Commission implements a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect.

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The Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action. The latest vote, prepared by the civil liberties committee and approved by a plenary session of parliament, gives the Commission two months to act before MEPs can consider action in the European Court of Justice.

Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens.

The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.

In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.

But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.

Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.

Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.

Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.”

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Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit.

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China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall. AFP/Getty 33/50 8 August 2019 A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA 34/50 7 August 2019 Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. Reuters 35/50 6 August 2019 Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum. AFP/Getty 36/50 5 August 2019 Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security. AFP/Getty 37/50 4 August 2019 Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius. Reuters 38/50 3 August 2019 Pramac Racing's rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. 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EPA 45/50 27 July 2019 A general view of stalls closed following yesterday's volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. Reuters 46/50 26 July 2019 Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 47/50 25 July 2019 The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire. AFP/Getty 48/50 24 July 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election. Reuters 49/50 23 July 2019 People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 50/50 22 July 2019 Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

Currently foreign travellers must pay a fee of $14 (£11) when they complete ESTA, an automated online system that determines their eligibility to travel to the US.

“British people are now used to the US ESTA scheme and, therefore, we view with interest how the European scheme might develop and what similarities, and differences, there may be to the US scheme,” Mr Goodwill said.

“This type of scheme is generally there to help enhance security. To get to know as much as possible about the people who are intending to travel.

“It isn’t just flights, it could be people using ferries, or other border crossings into the European Union.”

Alan Brown, an SNP member of the European Scrutiny Committee, pointed out that Leave advocates in the referendum campaign had said there would be no need for visa-like travel schemes after Brexit.</s>Between 1989 and 1991 the world watched as the Iron Curtain was finally drawn and massive parts of Europe and Asia were opened up for travelers. You could have gone to Prague or Moscow before, but there were visa issues, government tourist guides, and all sorts of other hoops that needed jumping. Now you can get on a plane and visit Warsaw on a whim.

Well, that may well be ending very soon. Back in April of 2014, the European Union put the United States on notice for a lack of reciprocation for visa free travel. The US still demands that EU citizens from Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria obtain visas to enter regardless of their European Union statuses. The European Union is pushing “for full visa reciprocity” for those member states from the US government since US citizens can travel freely to any of the 28 EU member states.

So to pressure the American government, the European Parliament conducted a show of hands vote that approved adopting “restrictive measures” against US citizens entering the entire EU zone. If the restrictive measures take place the European Commission would have to two years to rescind American’s visa free access to all 28 member states.</s>On Thursday European Union lawmakers voted to deny US citizens visa-free travel, as Washington continues to do the same to nationals from certain EU member states.The parliament claimed that it was "legally obliged" to address the issue as they were first notified in April 2014 that the US would not reciprocate the visa waiver right, along with Brunei, Japan, Canada and Australia.The European Parliament released a statement saying that "if a 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."Japan, Australia, and Brunei have lifted their restrictions, and by the end of the year Canada is set to do the same.Such restrictions could have a negative impact on European tourism revenue, and the commission is pushing to diplomatically resolve what some have deemed to be a "visa war.""The effect of terrorism in Europe in recent years emphasised how fragile our appeal is as a destination in long-haul markets," said Tourism Task Force chair and parliament member István Ujhelyi, according to the Telegraph, "This is not a time to put unnecessary obstacles in the way of one of the sectors most capable of generating employment."Eduardo Santander, executive director of the European Travel Commission said in a joint letter with the Network for the European Private Sector in Tourism sent to Parliament members, "We fully understand and respect the visa waiver reciprocity mechanism embedded in European legislation to ensure that all nationals of Member States part of Schengen can benefit on equal terms from exemption of visa requirement."The letter continued, "However, we are very concerned about the economic and political impact of a suspension of visa waiver for US nationals. Making it more difficult for US citizens to travel to Europe would certainly deprive the European travel and tourism sector of essential revenue, and put thousands of European jobs at stake in one of the few sectors which experiences a strong growth in employment."</s>BRUSSELS – The European Parliament is pushing for the bloc’s executive to temporarily reimpose visa requirements for U.S. citizens visiting the European Union in a standoff over Washington’s failure to grant visa-free travel for nationals of five EU countries.

The legislature on Thursday urged the European Commission to act within two months. The Commission was legally bound to propose by last April that visas be reintroduced for U.S. citizens for 12 months but the 28-nation bloc’s member countries preferred to take no action.

U.S. citizens can travel to all EU countries without visas but the U.S. hasn’t granted visa-free travel to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

The Commission has cautioned that suspending the visa waiver for Americans would also hurt trade, tourism and the European economy.</s>BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - United States citizens should be denied visa-free access to the European Union before summer because Washington does not allow some EU nationals to enter there without visa, EU lawmakers said in a vote on Thursday.

The European Parliament vote is set to put pressure on the European Commission, the EU's executive, to enforce a one-year suspension as a tit-for-tat measure for Washington's denial of visa-free access to citizens of Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, all members of the 28-country bloc.

A Commission official said contacts are ongoing with the U.S. administration "to push for full visa reciprocity," but fell short of saying that immediate action will be taken.

The Parliament, by a show of hands, urged the Commission to adopt restrictive measures against U.S. citizens "within two months".

"The Commission will report on further progress before the end of June 2017," the EU executive official said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

EU rules say that a decision to end visa-free access should be taken within two years from a first notice to countries that do not grant free access to EU citizens.

The first notification of the U.S. lack of reciprocity was sent in April 2014. Parliament argues that as a result the Commission has been "legally obliged" to take measures.

Canada also imposes visa requirements on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, but it has announced that they will be lifted in December. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)</s>The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the European continent, according to a report on March 3. This motion would force American tourists visiting Europe to first obtain visas, prior to traveling.

The European Parliament has passed a resolution on March 3, calling for an end to American citizens’ visa-free travel to Europe, according to The New York Times. The passing of the non-binding resolution comes after the United States excluded five European Union countries from its no-visa policy: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. US citizens can normally travel throughout all of the European countries with only a passport, but if the law passes, they will be required to obtain a visa prior to their travel.

The request reflects “hostility among some European politicians to the Trump administration,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Parliament’s vote reportedly came nearly two months into Donald Trump’s presidency. The legislature also publicly slammed Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

“You’re talking about citizens from countries, like Poland, with a major diaspora” in the United States, Claude Moraes, the British lawmaker who leads the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament, said in a telephone interview with the NYT on March 3. He continued passionately, “You’re really seeing frustration and anger, and without any timetable, this is becoming increasingly seen as second-class treatment.”

“At the moment, the U.S. just believes the commission is not going to act, but stick with the pragmatic argument that doing so would create damage that’s just too great,” Moraes added. “There’s no denying heightened concern about the current administration, but that’s more about uncertainty about who’s in charge and how the State Department is working.”

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The European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for United States citizens after the U.S. government failed to agree to visa-free travel for citizens of five European Union member states, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The resolution is non-binding.