RantCrush Top 5: March 3, 2017

The European Parliament voted yesterday to deny U.S. citizens visa-free travel to countries in the European Union. The U.S. government doesn’t allow citizens from Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria to travel here without a visa, although citizens of the other 23 EU countries don’t need a visa. This vote is seen as a tit-for-tat move.

via GIPHY

Restricting non-visa travel has been discussed since 2014, but now the parliament wants the changes to be implemented before this summer. The parliamentary vote was a way to put pressure on the European Commission, which is the executive branch, to act. The European Commission says it is in touch with American lawmakers, but it didn’t specify whether immediate action would be taken. Though many EU lawmakers think reinstating visas for Americans is only fair, others fear that it could damage European tourism over the summer.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.