Following a press statement from the European Commission, where they announced the extension of temporary internal border controls in the Schengen area and said that they would take no action on visa reciprocity with the US, S&D Group vice- president Tanja Fajon said:
“The Commission’s response on visa reciprocity with the US is not acceptable. The Commission is legally obliged to take measures temporarily reintroducing visa requirements for US citizens, given that Washington still does not grant visa-free access to nationals of five EU countries. At the start of March, we called on the Commission to adopt the necessary measures for this within two months. They have not done this. We cannot accept a system that allows a foreign country to treat EU citizens differently based on their nationality. How would the US react if the EU insisted on a different visa regime for residents of California or Arkansas? The European Commission must stand up for all EU citizens.
“The Commission rightly called for a return to a normal functioning of the Schengen area. However, we believe this should happen immediately, not in six months' time. The reasons given for further extending controls are dubious at best and we have already strengthened the EU's external borders. The Commission must put pressure on the five member states mentioned to phase out temporary border controls as soon as possible.”
