THE governing body of the European Union (EU) has put forward a proposal yesterday to suspend Schengen visa waivers for all citizens of the US and Canada.
According to a statement by the European Commission, the proposal was considered due to non-reciprocity of visa waivers between the US and the nations of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.
The EU had 24 months ago issued a formal notice to the US State department asking for a reconsideration of their position with regards to the five member states, and that notice period has now expired.
Mario Bodini, chairman of the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), said: “There should be reciprocity… and reciprocity is a principal widely ignored in visa circles. (Still), Europeans enjoy far more freedom to travel around the world than the world enjoys coming to Europe.”
Bodini states that while he understands the European Commission’s move, it is important that the European economy does not falter as US and Canadian visitors invariably travel less to Europe due to a lack of visa-free facilities. “Millions of jobs are dependent on it,” he adds.
He also expects leisure travel to fall by 30 per cent from the US and Canada source markets should the proposal go into effect.
Tom Jenkins, CEO of ETOA, commented: “The US and Canada are two of our most important and longstanding origin markets. At a time of difficulty for the tourism industry in Europe, this does not project the necessary welcome.”
