Visa policy: Commission takes stock of progress made towards achieving full visa reciprocity with the United States

The Commission is reporting today on the progress made since March 2020 towards achieving full visa-waiver reciprocity with the United States. The Commission continues to support Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania to help them fulfil requirements of the United States Visa Waiver Program so that their citizens can travel to the United States visa-free for tourism or business purposes for stays of up to 90 days. This year, a number of political meetings took place, notably the EU-U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial meetings in May and tripartite meetings between the Member States, the United States and the Commission in June and December. Ensuring that third countries on the EU visa-free list grant a reciprocal visa waiver to citizens of all EU Member States is a fundamental principle of EU visa policy. The Commission remains committed to achieving full visa reciprocity for all Member States. The Communication underlines the continued efforts and engagement of the Commission to address the current situation of non-reciprocity, notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s Communication defines the position of the Commission following the European Parliament’s resolution adopted in October. The Commission will report on further developments to the European Parliament and the Council by December 2021.