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The European Parliament on Friday voted to end visa-free travel for American citizens in the European Union, The Independent reported.
The decision made by the parliament's civil liberties committee follows the United States' failure to agree to visa-free travel of citizens of five EU countries, Romania, Poland, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Croatia, under a reciprocity agreement.
The European Commission had discovered three years earlier that the US was not meeting its obligations under the agreement, but has yet to take legal action regarding the matter.
The parliament's vote, if implemented, means that American citizens will have to apply for travel documents. It comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January banning all immigrants and visa holders from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days.
The seven countries initially mentioned in the order were Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but Iraq was recently dropped from the 'ban' list.
Correction: This article earlier stated that American citizens would have to apply for travel documents for the next 12 months following the vote. It is clarified that the vote, which only urges the European Commission to revoke the scheme in two months, is non-binding and a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect may be challenged by the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union. The error is regretted.
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Comments (46) Closed
Mar 03, 2017 07:55pm
Good...that's the way!
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Mar 03, 2017 08:13pm
Trump is Making America Great Again!
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Mar 03, 2017 08:24pm
VERY GOOOOOOOOOOD.
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Mar 03, 2017 08:21pm
That's Tit for tat. But seriously, President Trump just wants to make America great again. So help him please.
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Mar 03, 2017 09:01pm
The report is inaccurate.
The resolution, approved by MEPs Thursday by a show of hands, urges the Commission to adopt the necessary legal measures "within two months" but is non-binding, according to a European Parliament news release.
If applied, it would temporarily impose visa requirements on US travelers until full visa reciprocity is achieved. But EU nations would stand to lose out if tourism and business travel from the United States were impacted.
So don't be so gleeful or depressed already!
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Mar 03, 2017 09:08pm
@The end is near Don't mix it here with current affairs, it is 3 year old agreement which was not met. By doing this means USA also can end Visa free for other EU countries and if that is done these people come running to DC.
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Mar 03, 2017 09:29pm
Very courageous move from these European countries, where as these countries are not much strong economically.
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Mar 03, 2017 09:40pm
Hats off to European Parliament for taking an appropriates decision about the Americans.Tit for tat indeed!
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Mar 03, 2017 10:03pm
I guess everyone despises the US on this site. This vote is non-binding and the EU member countries need American tourists. So there is a fat chance of this vote being implemented.
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Mar 03, 2017 10:03pm
Well done EU.
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Mar 03, 2017 10:12pm
@Chandra America is already great. By saying that Trump is going to make it great again, what he is really saying that he is going to make America WHITE again. And that is not going to happen because today's America has too many brown citizens living there and they are not going anywhere.
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Mar 03, 2017 10:19pm
wonderful
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Mar 03, 2017 10:52pm
Awesome.
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Mar 03, 2017 11:44pm
So the mighty nation will now have to beg for their visas to Europe. That is excellent and just.
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Mar 03, 2017 11:46pm
It is a non-binding resolution. It has no effect.
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Mar 03, 2017 11:50pm
Less Americans are traveling to Europe these days. There was a reduction of approximately 1.5 million visitors to France alone. I live in Canada and had future plans to visit Europe but considering safety issues we have decided to explore Canada and USA.
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Mar 04, 2017 12:12am
This does not sound like a rational decision for the European countries to put punishing restrictions against long time ally USA simply on a basis of what happens about visa process between third parties like USA and the Middle Eastern Countries. Unless European countries intend to change alliance from USA to Middle Eastern Countries, the Europeans will be better off looking after for the welfare of their own citizens before wasting time to provide unsolicited help to strangers.
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Mar 04, 2017 12:12am
@John mAlik What security issue? If you are so much concerned about security then you should never leave your house!
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Mar 04, 2017 12:25am
@Robert Thank you for your sane words.
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Mar 04, 2017 01:07am
Britian is already exiting EU.Days of EU are already numbered.
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Mar 04, 2017 01:28am
This is a wrong decision from the EU parliament. These five countries in the EU are relatively poor, and US is afraid of visa violations. People from these countries are likely to not return once entered. Greece was only recently awarded visa-free entry once it scored well on a few metrics, such as, number of visa violations per year over the last ten years. These leftists in the EU parliament and everywhere think that privilege is a natural right and does not have to be earned.
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Mar 04, 2017 01:33am
Fair enough ! EU is completely justified in taking this step !
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Mar 04, 2017 02:00am
Hats off for EU Parliament to keep Americans at length. I will suggest that all those countries whose nationals need visa to travel to US must also make it mandatory that now US passport holders shall not be issued entry visas upon arrival rather, on the contra, they must obtain visa before travelling. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi.formerdiplomat@hotmail.com
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Mar 04, 2017 02:07am
@John mAlik,
Very good but a desi remains desi despite foreign passport. Good luck with exploring US & Canada just watch out you are in the right neighbourhood.
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Mar 04, 2017 04:20am
Interesting, I thought European countries are just US' lackies with no backbone but I certainly stand corrected!
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Mar 04, 2017 04:54am
Seems not real,how can EU punish its own nationals,as a matter of fact Germans,French,Spanish,Polish,Russians,Greek,Portugese,Italians,all nationalities from EU resides in USA in great numbers, such an action will hurt divided families. Hence its not possible to curb travel between EU & USA.
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Mar 04, 2017 05:25am
Yes, that how it works. What goes around, comes around.
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Mar 04, 2017 05:38am
Trump supporters do not mind at all.
Because they do not travel out of America anyway.
Forget Europe, they are even scared to travel to New York.
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Mar 04, 2017 05:54am
If The Trump wants to isolate the U.S. from all the world he is doing a bang up job ... This is just the start. How can one make a country great again by itself? The world is connected, so are the people, the economies and much more ...
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Mar 04, 2017 06:02am
This is good move. All muslims countries should also ban Americans , but I doubt most muslim countries rulers are americans puppets.
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Mar 04, 2017 06:04am
Tit for tat is a natural reaction. Others should also follow.
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Mar 04, 2017 06:42am
@AhMAd USA has already ended Visa free travel for some European countries where citizens are brown and dark and don't have blond hair and blue eyes.
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Mar 04, 2017 06:43am
@John mAlik Good for Europeans that you are staying away.
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Mar 04, 2017 07:09am
EU Parliament has little power. Visa is an decision for individual countries and no one would dare.
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Mar 04, 2017 07:23am
This will never happen ! All of EU is greatly benefited by Business and tourism form USA. It's just show of hands by some MEP's who wants to make some noise. And this is non-binding meaning in simple Urdu= Na Karo too koi bat Nahi .
It's bad time all ready for EU after Brexit Germany or France leaves EU and EU will self distruct. It's not good idea to take panga with USA right now and shoot yourself in foot. USA is working on lines to bill EU for NATO deffence expencies I think we should start with countries of these MEPs who showed their hands.
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Mar 04, 2017 07:28am
Pakistan also should do the same . No need for American to come to this country. What good they have done to us? They fired on our shoulders.we fought their wars. Now we have new Grendel in China who is investing 50 billion in CPEC. Who much they have invested in our country. Let them stand in que and realised who much we suffered in getting US visa . Now our CPSE will start. They need our visas.
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Mar 04, 2017 07:45am
This will put extra financial pressure to staff more people in their respective embassies in the USA.,
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Mar 04, 2017 08:41am
Misleading headline. EU Parliament has voted but EU exevutive stressed it was pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the row, leaving it unlikely that it would act on the vote by lawmakers setting a May deadline to impose visas - a move that could hurt Europe's tourism sector.
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Mar 04, 2017 08:43am
@Harmony-1© EU Executive has made it very clear it does not plan to act on this vote but rather pursue a diplomatic solution since they are concerned about the huge impact in their tourist sector.
@Chandra -EU parliament decision has little to do with Trump or his visa ban on the 6 countries.
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Mar 04, 2017 08:40am
Good job by UAE. That is the way it should be.
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Mar 04, 2017 08:46am
@hopeful No. this is a non-binding resolution. If Americans are required to get vidas, they will implement visa requirement for Western European nations who currently do not require a visa. For that reason as well as concerns about decline in tourism, this non-binding resolution will not be implemented.
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Mar 04, 2017 08:49am
@D Patel The vote has little to do with Trump's visa decision on middle eastern countries. It has to do with US failing to give visa free status to some east European nations who are EU members. It is a 3 year old dispute. It is a non-binding resolution and unlikely to be implemented.
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Mar 04, 2017 08:49am
@Ramesh Dembla "Pakistan also should do the same . "
Pakistan has never had visa free status for US.
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Mar 04, 2017 09:03am
We do not need the EU or the Brits,it is they who need us the most.
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Mar 04, 2017 11:36am
hats off EU??
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Mar 05, 2017 06:10pm
@Asad I thought we were friends. But I stand corrected.
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