US Ambassador to EU gives good news to Croatia’s MEP Tonino Picula.
“Croatia and Cyprus are positive examples that are very close to fulfilling the formal criteria for the abolition of visas, regardless of the decision of European institutions about the possible introduction of visa requirements for US citizens”, said the US ambassador to the EU Anthony L. Gardner, answering a question posed by Member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula, reports Večernji List on June 8, 2016.
MEP Picula, who has been working on the abolition of visa requirements between the USA and Croatia from the beginning of his term of office, had asked Gardner when he expected that the introduction of visa reciprocity for the remaining five EU member states that still require a visa for the United States could happen.
On 12 April, a two-year legal deadline for the implementation of the visa reciprocity expired, and therefore the European Commission asked the EU Council and the European Parliament to present their positions by 12 July on further actions. In the case of the majority support in the Council and Parliament, one of the possibilities is the introduction of visas for US citizens when travelling to the EU.
“Some of the five countries have launched an official procedure, while others are more inclined to a compromise agreement. I personally believe that free movement of citizens is a prerequisite for the free movement of goods and services”, said Picula during an exchange of views with Gardner.
The Ambassador said that he hoped they would avoid an inefficient and expensive process of re-introduction of visas that would certainly have implications for other dimensions of the transatlantic relationship.
