cumentator
10.06.06, 18:43
EU sanctions threat to Canada over visas
Europe is considering sanctions against Canada over its refusal to allow visa-
free travel by citizens from all 25 members of the European Union, a shot
across the bows of the US, which maintains similar restrictions on visitors
from almost all of the new EU member states.
Brussels will unveil a report on possible action against Canada by early next
month that could initially require Canadian diplomats to obtain visas before
travelling to Europe, ending the long practice of visa-free entry.
While the US is not expected to be targeted immediately, European officials
are planning to press the issue at the summit between EU and US leaders in
Vienna this month, seeking a commitment by President George W. Bush to move
towards granting visa-waiver status to all EU members.
The entry restrictions mostly affect citizens from the ex-Communist countries
that joined the EU in 2004.
John Bruton, the EU ambassador to Washington, said: “If the US is serious
about respecting the EU as a union, it’s got to respect it as a union for
visa purposes.” He stressed that Brussels did not want to impose retaliatory
sanctions but was hoping for “a solution that doesn’t create any new
divisions in Europe”.
“My sense is if the Americans were to offer something a little stronger than
a road map, that recognised the goal of reciprocity, we would be heading in
the right direction,” he said.
The US requires visas from 10 European member states, including Poland,
Hungary and the Czech Republic, while Canada requires them from seven. Mr
Bruton said the requirement “is very damaging to the perception of the US in
that part of Europe that has been the most pro-US in recent times”. The Czech
Republic has warned that it might impose visas on Canadian travellers unless
Canada lifts its visa requirements on Czech travellers. EU officials want the
issue to be handled by Brussels rather than the national capitals.
The Commission has yet to decide exactly what action to propose. Even if it
recommends sanctions, the move would be far from a fait accompli because the
European parliament and EU member states would have to back the plan. The
threat of action could put enough pressure on Washington and Ottawa to review
their policies.
Both US and Canadian officials said their policies were not based on
reciprocity with the EU but on working with the new member states on a
country-by-country basis.
The US has offered a general “road map” to guide the new member states on how
to be accepted into the US visa-waiver programme, which allows for visa-free
travel to the US. Among the most contentious requirements is that the new
countries must meet a threshold of having less than 3 per cent of their visa
applicants rejected by US immigration authorities, a benchmark established by
Congress.
But the EU has made progress on another benchmark involving secure passports.
All 25 states will begin issuing secure biometric passports by the end of
August.
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