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© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.UK minister: Britons may need visas to visit EU after Brexit
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Tangerine2000
I think this would have a huge detrimental impact on the tourist industry in Europe. British tourists make up 25% of all Spanish tourists and are also extremely important for France. I can't see how this wouldn't be met with a backlash as Europe's tourism industry needs supporting now more than ever and this'll mean job cuts for quite a few if it were to go ahead.
goldorak
Very unlikely to happen imo. The Uk won't be the first euro country outside the eu anyway, its nothing new. The swiss, norwegians, albanians etc don't pay why would Brits be forced to? Absolutely no reason, economical or political, for that to happen.
NckHmml
@goldorak, as for the Norwegians and the Swiss (I don't know about Albania) both are part of the Schengen and thus allow the free movement of people. Preventing the free movement of people happens to be the main, if the not the only, argument why people voted 'leave'.
Speed
Many countries have visa waiver agreements. I strongly doubt the EU would have UK passport holders required to get visas.
It's plausible but highly doubtful.
SwissToni
The proposal is a visa waiver programme similar to the US ESTA. It's been talked about for some time. The U.K. looks likely to choose to not be part of the free movement zone, so that being the case, if the EU creates a Euro ESTA everyone outside will have to pay. It's not going to stop people travelling to mainland Europe but it does set the scene for future talks. The Brexiters aren't going to get everything they want.
Outrider
A visa and remember to pack a burkini.
JeffLee
Yet another bout of Remain scaremongering. Developed countries already have visa waiver agreements among themselves.
Aly Rustom
I think that its very plausible. The EU will try to give the UK the worst deal ever to try and discourage other countries from leaving the block. There is a sort of "lets punish the UK for leaving the group."
It will not be a “two-way negotiation.” Just ask the Swiss and the Norweigians. The EU alone came up with the terms for travel and trade for them, and it was a kind of take it or leave it..
coskuri
No, the contrary, I remind you that the EU has not asked anything. UK leaders are unilaterally working at getting the worst deal for their lower class. If UK wants "no visa", they just had to sign in Shengen or something else that would be bilateral. What they have started already is selling visas (like spouses of British citizens now get the right to be resident only if they are rich, or students have to pay expensive fees and accomodation...). Next step is probably to ransom expat workers (they'll be asked to give back x % to Queen). And that will be generalized for tourism. And they'll tell EU countries to reciprocate. So, the chavs will stay home while the rich UK politicians won't have limitation to their stays in their South European second houses.
They have not reason to be optimistic. They'll pay.
That's the goal : a British sakoku. They believe the business would be reported on domestic tourism (Alps ski slops are always full of Brits that could ski in their country, no ? what about water-ski ? ) . Like imports being more expensive, people would buy "made in Brit" products (Meditteranean produce are over rated, people just need porridge). After a while, they'd be back to autarcy. Will they start cutting the head of any outsider trying to reach their islands ?
Aly Rustom
Yeah, I can see that. The UK gov has really very little interest in the rights of its people. I'm there will be back door deals for certain people, but the idea that ordinary UK citizens will still have open access to Europe's borders....I seriously doubt the EU will accept that. After all, its not going to be reciprocal, is it?