Americans may soon require a visa to visit the EU.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2016/04/barriers-entry

#######-FOR-TAT is never a happy way for friends to sort out their differences. By the time one side has blinked first, both parties tend to find themselves in a worse position than when they started.

Next week the European Commission will discuss whether to start requiring Americans and Canadians to apply for visas before they venture across the pond. The goal is to pressure America into adding more European Union (EU) member states to the list of countries that are able to enjoy visa-free travel to the United States. While most EU countries are exempt from the need to apply for a visa, five mostly East European nationsRomania, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia and Cyprusstill require permission. (The first two are also not allowed visa-free travel to Canada.) Our goal remains full and reciprocal visa waiver with our strategic partners, says Mina Andreeva, a spokeswoman for the European Commission.

With the EU in the throes of a migrant crisis, and having been subject to several high-profile terrorist atrocities, Americans are nervous about further opening their borders to their European cousins. But EU law commits its members to put up a united, one-for-all-and-all-for-one front when seeking reciprocal visa rules for its members. (Although Britain and Ireland are exempt from this.) In any case, America has already signed up to a timetable to add the excluded countries to its visa-waiver list. More than 12m high-spending Americans are expected to have visited Europe in 2015, according to Euromonitor, a market research group. Any escalation would be economically costly for one side, and hugely inconvenient for the other.

According to Reuters, the European Commission must decide by April 12th whether to demand visas from countries who have similar requirements in place for one or more EU state. However, any tightening of visa requirements for Americans and Canadians is unlikely to come into practice quickly. The New York Times reports:

It remains unclear whether Brussels will actually start the process of imposing visa requirements next week. If it did, the change would not go into effect immediately, and there would be a period of up to six months when a majority of Europes national governments and the European Parliament could block the move.

Both sides should consider their positions carefully. In the current Donald Trump-driven climate, there would be little political capital to be gained by loosening borders controls. But the relationship between Europe and the United States, like Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron in An American in Paris (pictured), has always been one of love, masquerading as suspicion. Ultimately, the pair should not be building barriers to a fruitful relationship. As Jerry Mulligan, Gene Kellys character in the film might have said: Sometimes we have a wonderful time together and other times it's no fun at all. But I got to be with her.

[lostinblue 1,989]

In todays age we need tighter border control . This is a non issue having to get a visa .

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I don't visit Europe do it don't bother me.

[Sousuke 1,214]

Yeah this would backfire for sure on the EU.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Ah America - she used to be so hot but she gained weight and has some emotional baggage, we'd dump her for that new hottie China but she smokes and is a two-timer, besides we don't think shes all that into us.

Edited April 8, 2016 by OnMyWayID

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

They don't have the stones.

France deports Romanians themselves, so this seems like a lot of silliness.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Harpa Timsah

[Boiler 45,670]

So say France is going to slow down US visitors because say Bulgarians can not use the VWP?

And somebody seriously thinks this would happen?

[Operator 1,927]

Getting a visa is such a hassle...I'm going back to the couch.

[ExPatty 502]

Who cares. We need strong borders against people from garbage countries that don't control their borders properly. If EU wants to make us get visas to visit London we will make them get them to visit disney world.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Just kind of makes me wonder if this will change immigration at all especially the amount of k1's. Will people want to go the extra effort?

[Boiler 45,670]

Who cares. We need strong borders against people from garbage countries that don't control their borders properly. If EU wants to make us get visas to visit London we will make them get them to visit disney world.

UK is not involved.

[ExPatty 502]

UK is not involved.

Paris then.

I hope england leaves EU anyway. EU is a group of countries in a race to the bottom, lacking the patriotism to stand up for their own country.

[Boiler 45,670]

Judging from the Guardian today Project Fear is in big trouble.

[Jacque67 7,328]

[TENBILLIONDOLLARS 216]

So you get a visa. BFD.