Canada prepares to lift visas for Romanians

Canadian authorities is preparing to lift visas for Romanian citizens in a bid to secure the free trade agreement with the European Union. On July 5 the European Commission agreed to allow parliaments of EU member states to ratify the deal, exposing Canada to the risk of a veto.

A major move by the Canadian government is expected next week, when the country’s Immigration Minister John McCallum will travel to Brussels to solve the country’s long-standing visa dispute with Bulgaria and Romania. The move is meant to avert the risk of a veto from the parliaments of the two countries, whose citizens are still required to obtain a visa before traveling to Canada. Currently Canada only requires visas for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens, while the United States requires for visas for citizens from five EU member states.

In April, Canada and the U.S. were given three extra months to comply with the EU’s policy of visa reciprocity.

The EU-Canada free trade agreement, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has a signing date set for October 2016 and is scheduled to enter force in 2017. According to EU estimates, the deal is expected to increase the bloc’s economic output by around EUR 12 billion a year and increase EU-Canadian trade by a quarter. Earlier this week the European Commission scrapped its initial plans and bowed to pressure from member states to allow national parliaments to ratify the deal, instead of governments, followed by a European Parliamentary vote.

The EC is scheduled to meet July 13 to decide whether to impose visas on Canadian and American citizens traveling to the EU. Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum is to travel to Brussels 10 to 12 July, however, his office stated that “no events or announcements are planned during this trip.”