European Plan to Require Visas for Americans

On March 3, 2017 the European Parliament passed a resolution regarding American citizens traveling to Europe. The resolution involves a European plan to require visas for visiting Americans. What does this mean for Americans planning to travel to Europe this year? Why did the European Parliament do such a thing? Here are the answers.

What Does This Mean for Americans Traveling to Europe?

The effect on Americans, if any, is not yet known. The European Parliament’s vote is non-binding. The entity that decides is the European Commission. The Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The resolution orders the European Commission to take legal measures to impose temporary visa requirements on Americans within two months. While that sounds definite, there are several reasons why the result is far from certain.

First, Parliament’s resolution does not require new visa requirements if a deal for reciprocity can be reached with Washington, D.C.  Second, officials from the European Commission have balked at making travel more difficult for Americans. Their rationale is that because the European economy is so dependent on tourism, that adding these visa requirements would hurt the EU economically.

If the European Commission refuses to act in the two month period, Parliament’s remedy will be to go to the Court of Justice of the European Union located in Luxembourg.

What is the Current Time Table?

At this time the European Commission is expected to provide a progress report to Parliament in June. Some delays are anticipated. Even if a deal between the EU and the U.S. cannot be reached, it is far from clear, though still possible that visas will be required for Americans traveling to Europe this summer. But, the whole process could easily take years.

In the meantime, efforts will be made to reach a deal with the United States. The EU’s consensus is that President Trump will likely come to the negotiating table as soon as it is made clear that visas for Americans are going to be required. This seems a reasonable conclusion since the American citizens most effected by the visa requirement are among those the Trump administration’s policies have favored so far.

Why This Sudden Development?

The European’s plan to require visas for Americans did not develop overnight. The European Parliament and EU have been frustrated by U.S. policies imposing travel requirements on citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland and Romania for years. However, the policies of the new Presidential administration have reignited and heightened concerns in the European Parliament members and brought the issue to the forefront.