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Parliamentary question - P-010349/2014Parliamentary question
P-010349/2014

Action on non-reciprocity of visas between the USA and Bulgaria

Question for written answer P-010349-14
to the Commission
Rule 130
Ilhan Kyuchyuk (ALDE)

On 10 October 2014, the Commission published its annual report ‘assessing the situation of non-reciprocity with certain third countries in the area of visa policy’, which outlines the current state of affairs as regards tripartite discussions on visa reciprocity; however, there were no clear indications as to what concrete action the Commission will take to address the non‐reciprocity of visas between the USA and Bulgaria. The visa refusal rate for Bulgarian citizens in 2013 was 19.9%.

1. How does the Commission intend to address the fact that the principle of equal treatment of EU citizens is currently being breached as a result of the lack of visa reciprocity for Bulgarians, Romanians, Cypriots and Poles wishing to travel to the USA?

2. Is the Commission planning to demand full visa liberalisation for the USA for all 28 Member States as part of the negotiations on a possible Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement?