The European Commission is discussing a potential one-year suspension of its visa waiver agreement with the US and Canada.
The move would require all US and Canadian travellers to obtain a visa for travel to Europe.
The threat from the Europe follows Washington’s refusal to apply the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to all European countries. Citizens from Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania all require a visa to travel to the US and Canada.
In 2014 Brussels asked the two countries to broaden its VWP within two years to include those countries.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said it is now urging the European Parliament and Council "to urgently launch discussions and to take a position on the most appropriate way forward", given the "non-reciprocity" in visa requirements.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, home affairs, migration and citizenship commissioner, said: "Visa reciprocity is a fundamental element of the EU's common visa policy. EU citizens rightly expect to travel without a visa to any third country whose citizens can enter the Schengen area visa-free.
"Today, the Commission has assessed the legal, political and economic consequences of a possible temporary suspensions of the visa waiver for the US, Canada and Brunei and has asked for positions on the way forward from the European Parliament and Council."
The GBTA has warned against introducing the suspension as it could damage jobs, economic growth and international trade.
“A suspension would have a negative impact on business travel, which accounted for an estimated $1.2 trillion dollars in global spending last year,” the travel organisation said in a statement.
“A suspension would also create a backlog of visa applications for travel to Europe, decrease international travel and create a lasting, negative impact on EU relations with the United States and Canada. In a time where the global economy already faces many uncertainties, this move could deal a devastating blow to further economic growth,” it added.
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