Americans Might Have to Get a Visa for Europe

The European Union Parliament wants to reinstate visas for Americans traveling into the 28-nation bloc, arguing that the U.S. still requires citizens of five E.U. member nations to apply for an entry visa.

Lawmakers passed a non-binding resolution on Thursday calling for the E.U. Commission to impose visas on U.S. citizens by May, ahead of the summer tourist season. The vote stems from a transatlantic dispute over the fact that the U.S. currently requires citizens of Croatia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland to obtain visas before visiting.

"The lack of visa reciprocity affects at least 14 percent of E.U. citizens, namely the citizens of Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, and Poland as well as some E.U. citizens with dual nationality," E.U. lawmaker Filiz Hyusmenova said in a statement seen by Deutsche Welle following the vote.

The Commission says that it will pursue a diplomatic resolution, Reuters reports, which makes it unlikely that they would act on the vote by the May deadline. Furthermore, if the visa requirement was introduced, it would be temporary, the E.U. says.