EC reluctant to penalise Canada, US over visa requirements for Bulgarians and Romanians

The European Commission said on July 13 that it would continue to “work toward” getting Canada and the United States to remove visa requirements for citizens of EU member states Bulgaria and Romania – but again hinted that it was reluctant to penalise Washington and Ottawa over the lack of visa reciprocity.

EU rules require that countries on the visa-free list for entry to the Union should reciprocate. But Canada still requires Bulgarians and Romanians to apply for visas, while the US requires visa applications from five EU member states, including Bulgaria and Romania.

Bulgaria and Romania have indicated that unless Canada lifts its visa requirements, they could veto an EU-Canada free trade deal due for signing in October.

On July 11, European Commission-brokered talks were held involving senior office-bearers from Canada, Bulgaria and Romania.

At the meeting, Canada undertook to inform in early autumn about the outcomes of the assessments and timelines for lifting the visa requirement, including on the necessary elements of cooperation with Bulgaria and Romania.

After a meeting on July 13, the European Commission said that it had adopted a communication regarding the visa reciprocity situation with Canada and the United States, evaluating the progress achieved in discussions with both countries and setting out the next steps...
 [sofiaglobe.com]
13/7/16
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