Europe Votes To Stop Letting Americans In Without Visas, So Rethink That Vacay

The European Parliament just voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the European Union (EU), The Independent reports.

This is due to the fact the US doesn't currently offer visa-free travel to all 28 countries within the EU and is apparently violating a reciprocity agreement.

There are currently five countries that the US doesn't allow visa-free travel from within the EU: Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus.

This seems to be an attempt to grab America's attention and pressure it to extend visa-free travel to these five countries.

The European Parliaments want to ensure that every member state of the EU is treated equally.

The European Parliament's vote does not immediately go into effect, and it doesn't have the authority to implement this change.

But it's urging the European Commission to act on this within two months.

If this does go into effect, then Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months if they want to travel to any of the 28 countries within the European Union.

So, at the moment, Americans can continue to travel to EU nations without a visa as long as they have a valid passport.

But, as The Washington Post highlights, if this did ultimately happen, it could have an adverse economic impact in Europe, as it could negatively affect revenue from tourism and business.

It might also lead the US government to retaliate and perhaps end visa-free travel all EU countries.

According to Reuters, the European Commission is hoping to resolve this dispute diplomatically and doesn't want to end visa-free travel for Americans.

But, given the fact that Donald Trump is currently president and he has spoken often about what he perceives as rampant violence in places like Paris and Sweden, it's conceivable he may not bend on this and could perhaps take a harsher stance toward European travelers.

Citations: European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans (The Independent)