A long-simmering row between Brussels and Washington over visas is set to break into the open on Tuesday when the European Commission considers whether to force US citizens to apply for a visa before travelling to Europe.
Commissioners will meet to discuss what steps, if any, to take against the US if Washington ignores Brussels’ demand for a visa waiver to apply for all EU citizens.
Officials involved in the negotiations — which, in various forms, have dragged on for nearly a decade — are hopeful that a full-blown diplomatic fight can be avoided at a time when relations between the EU and the US are already strained by issues of trade, tax and even China.