European Parliament pushes for reimposition of visas for US

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.

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