EU pressures the US and Canada to eliminate visas for Romanians and Bulgarians

The European Commission may reintroduce travel visas for US and Canadian citizens traveling to the European Union (EU). The measure aims to pressure the two countries into eliminating the visas for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens, according to French newspaper Le Figaro. The Romanian and Bulgarian citizens need to get visas when traveling to the US and Canada. The European Commission will discuss this topic next Tuesday (April 12), according to an EC official. According to the US Embassy in Bucharest, Romania doesn’t yet meet all the requirements to be included in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. Romania and Bulgaria have also been trying to get into the Schengen Area, which would allow their citizens to travel to other European countries without having to show any ID at the border. Several EU member states have been opposing the two countries’ entry into the Schengen area due to problems with corruption and organized crime. Romania and Bulgaria are currently being monitored by the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) and need to reach certain targets to be accepted into the Schengen Area. Two US senators propose Visa-free travel for Romanian citizens editor@romania-insider.com