site.btaMEP Nekov Asks European Commission, Bulgarian PM about US, Canadian Visa Requirements for Bulgarians

MEP Nekov Asks European Commission, Bulgarian PM about US, Canadian Visa Requirements for Bulgarians

Sofia, April 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian Socialist Member of the European Parliament Momchil Nekov has sent questions to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov in connection with the European Commission's decision against proposing the introduction of visa requirements for US and Canadian nationals.

Nekov approached Borissov and Mitov about the Bulgarian Government's position if a visa waiver is not achieved before the potential entry into force of the economic agreements with the US and Canada which are being negotiated.

The MEP has also tabled a priority question to the European Commission about the lawfulness of its actions which, he argues, are contrary to Bulgaria's interests.
The press release recalls that, under Regulation (EU) 1289/2013, the Commission was obliged to propose to Member States to impose visa requirements within 12 months, now that the US and Canada, whose nationals travel visa-free to the EU, have failed to meet the April 12, 2016 deadline for waiving their own visa requirements for all EU citizens. Even though the European Court of Justice confirmed this obligation of the Commission on July 16, 2015, the Commission has failed to comply with this decision, "thus practically relinquishing the implementation of its own legislation which, however, was in Bulgaria's interest," Nekov argued.

The press release notes that visa policy is one of the sensitive issues in connection with the forthcoming agreements with Canada and the US.

According to the MEP, unless visas for Bulgarians are waived, there poses a tangible risk of impairment of the country's economic interests. "There can be no talk of free trade as long as the citizens of the one State party enjoy the right to freedom of movement while the citizens of the other State party do not," Nekov argues.

"The Romanian Foreign Ministry reacted instantly and stated that EU-Canada relations will have to be reconsidered until visa-free travel for Romanian nationals is achieved," the press release says.