Travel To Europe 2017: EU Votes To Restrict US Visa Access

The European Union parliament voted Thursday to restrict United States visa-free access to Europe in response to the U.S. visa policy toward five E.U. member states.

The parliament recommended the limits on U.S. visas be adapted quickly after the parliament successfully voted for the non-binding resolution by hand, reportedly in retaliation for the U.S. denial of visa-free access to nationals of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The parliament called on the E.U. executive body to enact the travel measures "within two months," likely affecting the travel plans of over half a million U.S. citizens who travel to Europe every summer.

Since at least 2014, the E.U. has demanded that the U.S. adopt a unified visa-waiver policy to all its member states and the parliament was originally scheduled to take action last year on the matter. The E.U. Commission was "legally obliged" to introduce visa requirements for U.S. citizens based on its policy of reciprocity with foreign governments. If Washington does not open its borders to the five Eastern European nations and Cyprus, the E.U. said it would suspend the waiver on U.S. visas for 12 months.

Officials from the E.U. and the U.S. were scheduled to meet in June over the matter.

"We will report on further progress made before the end of June and continue to work closely with both the European Parliament and the Council," a Commission spokesperson told Reuters.

Relations between the E.U. and the U.S. became strained after the election of President Donald Trump last year. E.U. Council President Donald Tusk labeled Trump one of the most serious risks to the international alliance's stability along with Russia, China and Islamic extremists such as the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. Trump's support for Brexit and opposition to admitting refugees has placed him at odds with many E.U. member state leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, and made the Republican leader popular among populist parties across the continent.

Many E.U. leaders also came out against Donald Trump's executive order signed January that halted U.S. visas altogether for nationals from seven Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East and Africa. The order was struck down by a federal court, but Trump was expected to soon introduce a new, similar measure that omitted Iraq, an ally in the fight against ISIS, from the list.