EU to require visas of Americans???
 

"The European Parliament on Thursday called on the EU's executive body to reintroduce visas for US citizens "within two months," citing Washington's failure to provide full visa reciprocity."

http://www.dw.com/en/eu-must-reintro...ers/a-37791516

Another thread already appeared on that. It may be saber rattling on behalf of the Eu to get the US to include the five countries Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania in the list of visa-free travel countries.
Qui vivra verra.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/w...travelers.html

Saber rattling and signal to Trump.
He pi$$es off everybody, we pi$$ US off too.
What else ? In a kindergarten world of politics.

You been to Romania : total disaster there, only thieves.
Bulgaria ? same. Ends in 'a'.
Croatia : same. Ends in 'a'.
Cyprus ? same. Ends witrh a 'a'.
Poland ? Country of plumbers and maidwomen. Why would they need to go to US ?

See this ad from Poland toursit office !
(real one - Poland has humour)

http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2016...les-tetes.html

Well there's always Great Britain especially if Brexit happens.

We have visa-free travel, but still have to get ESTA approval (and pay for that). Perhaps there should be a reciprocal arrangement for Americans?

A Belgian guy was send home last week from the US. They put him on a plane back with his hands and feet cuffed. He misunderstood a question. And he was a muslim.

I guess Europe doesn't need American tourist money anymore - glad to hear their economies are doing so well!

We still visited the US despite ESTA - I assume Americans will do the same in Europe.

Europe will benefit from tourists who will no longer visit the US. And it is likely that international companies will think twice about organising a conference in the US in the near future.

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with more than 80 million visitors. These are mostly from other European countries. Americans make up less than 5% of these visitors. The largest growth is in visitors from Asia - particularly China.

Every single news item we read about people detained at the border in the US - be it elderly children book writers, scholars, journalists or Mohammed Ali's son - will cause people to rethink their plans to visit the US.

I doubt it will happen. It didn't happen in 2014.
There was talk of introducing an equivalent to the ESTA scheme for US residents. That could still happen.

The Trump Slump is already a fact for tourism to the U.S.
Bookings are way down. A combination of a high dollar and the political situation.

I don't think the Europeans will require visas from Americans, either, Hetismij. I do think Europe will profit from those who no longer want to (or can) visit the US. That also goes for students. I've read that applications to US colleges from foreign students are down already. The Netherlands is happy to welcome clever young people.

Amy Chua's 'Day of Empire' makes for interesting reading these days:
"The death of empire, in Chua’s thesis — the Kryptonite that vitiates a superpower — is intolerance and exclusivity, an insistence on racial “purity” or religious orthodoxy."

As a US citizen who travels to Europe annually, I wouldn't mind a requirement to get a visa for European travel in exchange for all Europeans needing visas to enter the US. Having a "real" visa in my passport for Europe would add some class to an otherwise pretty drab document.

Elsewhere this prospect has been posted as a done deal. For anyone who thinks this has been approved as a new policy, here's what I replied to that thread, being pertinent here also:


No, it hasn't happened (yet?. The latest headlines (Daily Express for example) still say

"THE EUROPEAN Union is set to declare a so-called ‘visa War’ on America after Washington refused to allow member state residents visa-free access."

This tussle has been going on for a couple of years and is still mostly saber rattling, but could become a reality, so keep an eye on the news but don't believe it until it actually has happened.

Quoting Daily Express further:

"MEPs have called on the Commission to reintroduce visa requirements for Americans on the grounds that Washington doesn’t give Bulgarian, Croatian, Cypriot, Polish and Romanian citizens visa-free access to the U.S."

Daily Express is not worthy of the name of a newspaper.

They are certainly considering a registration scheme similar to the ESTA (an e-visa by any other name) required by visa-waiver passport holders.

Posturing on both sides.

'I guess Europe doesn't need American tourist money anymore - glad to hear their economies are doing so well!'


Stupidest comment of the week.

Translate : US can do as they want as long as they have money.
Nice.
Stay home.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, this is not fact (yet if ever), not even an "alternate" fact.

All it says to date (and for the last couple of years)

"MEPs have called on the Commission to reintroduce visa requirements for Americans on the grounds that Washington doesn’t give Bulgarian, Croatian, Cypriot, Polish and Romanian citizens visa-free access to the U.S."

So they "have called on the Commission". A far cry from putting something like this into action.

It will never happen as the economies of so many places thrive on American tourists - never ever happen. I'll be my last French franc on that!

Stupidest comment of the week.
_______________
There is steep competition for that title. Every week.

Not happening:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/americans...211523810.html

Oh my, the comments on that Yahoo story.