site.btaEuropean Commission Reports on Recent Developments in Respcet of Visa Reciprocity with the US and Canada

European Commission Reports on Recent Developments in Respcet of Visa Reciprocity with the US and Canada

Brussels, December 21 (BTA corr. Nikolay Jeliazkov) - The European Commission reported Wednesday on progress towards achieving full visa reciprocity with Canada and the United States, evaluating the developments over the past five months, the EC said in a press release.

Since the last report, following contacts at political and technical level, the EU and Canada have agreed a clear timeline for achieving full visa waiver reciprocity. There have, however, not been comparable indications of progress with the United States, despite sustained efforts.

Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship Commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said: "Guaranteeing full visa reciprocity with Canada and the U.S. remains a priority for the EU. That is why I welcome the commitment and decision of the Canadian authorities to ensure full visa reciprocity for all EU citizens by 1 December 2017. This progress proves that our diplomatic contacts and negotiations have delivered important results. Similarly, we will continue keeping this issue high on the agenda with the new U.S. administration and will continue reiterating the importance of achieving full visa reciprocity for all EU citizens with the U.S. as well."

Wednesday's stock-taking follows the Communications adopted in April and July, in which the EC noted that full visa waiver reciprocity with Canada and the United States had not been achieved for citizens of some EU Member States and announced that it would report back on further progress made in the discussions before the end of the year.