EU Upset by New U.S. Visa Plans

The European Union is raising strong criticism of a congressional proposal to charge a $10 fee to some visitors to the United States. The $10 fee is part of the Travel Promotion Act which would be put in place in order to help fund a world-wide project to increase the number of visitors to the U.S.

If the act is passed, the EU is suggesting that some U.S. travelers to Europe could face retaliation. The EU does not believe that they should be paying for a U.S program to promote travel.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic Rep. William Delahunt believes the EU is arguing over nothing, stating that it is a relatively nominal fee. There was much controversy earlier in the year when the U.S. began requiring inbound travelers, under the waiver program to register online at a minimum of 72 hours before travel and renew their registration every two years.

Europeans have seen these new policies as more obstacles to entry and there has been some speculation that this may cause the EU to implement visa requirements for U.S. visitors.

The proposal earmarks the money raised to pay for a travel promotion campaign run as a public-private partnership. Among its aims would be to educate foreign visitors on U.S. entry procedures, including the online registration for visa free travel.