European
lawmakers have called for retaliatory visa restrictions for Americans
visiting the European Union after the United States banned visa-free
travel for five of the EU member states.
"Citizens
of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania still cannot enter
US territory without a visa while US citizens can travel to all EU
countries visa-free," a parliament statement said on
Thursday.
The
lawmakers at the European Parliament have given directions to the
bloc's executive arm, the European Commission, to temporarily revoke
the visa waiver system for US nationals for 12 months, the statement
added.
The European
Commission is "legally obliged to take measures temporarily
reintroducing visa requirements for US citizens," the
European Parliament said.
The waiver
is to be enforced within two months and after the revocation is
enforced, any move to reintroduce the permit for visa-free entrance
to the EU for US citizens would have to be approved by member states,
a process which could take years.
The
statement said the Canadian government had also imposed visa
restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens but they are about to
be lifted in December following negotiations between the two sides.
A
spokeswoman for EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos
acknowledged the waiver, saying the official had taken measures to
obtain full visa reciprocity during a recent visit to Washington.
"Our
approach of continued engagement and patient diplomatic contacts
brought tangible results with Canada," the spokeswoman said,
adding, "Our assessment of the situation with the US has not
changed and we will continue our discussions."
The spat
comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has imposed an
immigrant ban on seven mainly Muslim countries which was later
overturned by a court.
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