Europe

British holidaymakers to Europe will be forced to pay €7 in order to be allowed in under plans from Brussels. The European Union is progressing with plans to pre-screen travellers entering the border-free Schengen area in order to prevent the need for visas . The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will work in a similar fashion to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) which permits citizens from 39 countries a 90-day visa-free stay. On Tuesday the regulations for the system were confirmed. The ETIAS plan was originally mooted in 2016, before the UK left the EU. Once implemented it will cost visitors around £6.20 to undergo the checks. Those granted entry through the ETIAS would be allowed to enter and leave the Schengen area multiple times over a three-year period. The scheme is expected to cover 60 countries, including the UK, Australia and the US. Tuesday’s approval means the plan is on track to be implemented by the end of …

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British tourists could have to pay to visit Europe after Brexit as part of a US-style visa waiver system, the immigration minister has said. Robert Goodwill told MPs the EU was considering adopting a version of America's Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) but it was too early know if this would apply to UK residents after withdrawal. Mr Goodwill pointed out that the US system was not journey specific and some ESTAs lasted for ten years. The ESTA costs $14 (£11) and lets British visitors go to the USA for less than 90 days without a visa. It is required even if a traveller is just passing through the US in transit. SNP member of the European Scrutiny Committee Alan Brown told the minister that Leave advocates in the referendum campaign had said there would be no need for visa-like travel schemes after Brexit. He added: "An ESTA still takes time and costs money and it is something people have to repeat." Mr Goodwill said: "We are at a very early …

[Read more...] about British tourists could have to pay to visit Europe post-Brexit under a US-style visa system

British tourists could be required to register for a Europe-wide visa after 2020 following a European Union plan to introduce an American-style visa-waiver scheme. The proposals, which have been backed in the past by Britain, will require all non-EU citizens to pay 5 euros (£4.30) and fill out an online form to obtain clearance to travel within Europe's 26-nation ID check-free area. The checks, which will see applicants cross-checked against visa, criminal and stolen document databases, will apply to people from 60 countries, including the US, who are currently granted visa-free travel to the EU for business and tourism. Whether or not Britain is exempted from the scheme would depend on the outcome of the forthcoming Brexit negotiations with Europe, British officials said, but conceded it would logically apply once the UK has become a third country, outside the EU. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, said in a BBC interview last September that she could not rule out that Britons …

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Britons may have to apply for visas to travel throughout continental Europe once the UK leaves the EU, it has been reported. A scheme apparently being debated by the executive body of the European Union suggests the 26-nation passport-free Schengen zone , which does not include the UK, could operate a visa programme similar to the US waiver. Currently British passport holders can travel throughout member states without having to apply for short-term visas, but Britain's decision to leave the EU has left question marks over the criteria needed for UK nationals to visit the Schengen zone . According to The Guardian , the European Commission (EC) is due to unveil draft legislation for the EU travel information and authorisation system (Etias) later this year as part of a broader response to calls for greater security across the continent following recent terror attacks in France and Belgium. The scheme would cover all visitors to the Schengen zone from countries that …

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Holidays 2020: Best tourist attractions to visit (Image: Getty Images) Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info One of the draws of travel is the opportunity to visit a new place and take in its culture. Part of this is visiting its local landmarks and tourist attractions, often a key part of the location’s identity. From the TV tower in Berlin to London’s Big Ben, Europe is home to a number of world-famous landmarks, however, there is one, in particular, that has proven the most popular with tourists. Related articles Flights: Video shows passenger picking feet on plane Hand luggage: The hugely popular item you must never pack READ MORE Brexit …

[Read more...] about Holidays 2020: Europe’s ‘top must-see’ attraction – is it in the UK?

British holidaymakers could be forced to pay for visas to travel to Europe as a trade-off for the Brexit vote, the Home Secretary has admitted. Amber Rudd said she could not "rule out" the introduction of a scheme which would force those from outside the EU to pay for visas. The plan, currently being considered by EU nations, emerged over the weekend and on Sunday Ms Rudd suggested that Britain could be prepared to accept visas as a price worth paying during the Brexit negotiations. But she warned that the UK could retaliate and create a similar system if British citizens were hit with a charge to travel to countries like France and Spain. Critics have branded the scheme, which could cost around £10 per person, a "holiday tax" and called on Theresa May to rule it out. But asked about plans for a European Union visa yesterday the Home Secretary said the British people would be "surprised" at being forced to pay. She added: "I don’t think it’s particularly desirable but …

[Read more...] about British holidaymakers could be forced to pay to travel to Europe, Home Secretary admits

A mischievous walrus has re-appeared off the coast of Ireland, having travelled back from his last known location of the Isles of Scilly. The animal, affectionately known as ‘Wally’, was seen taking a peek into a boat which was moored off the coast of Ardmore, Co Waterford, on Wednesday. Wally has been delighting and infuriating coastal communities all summer and has pitched up in Wales, England, France and Spain. He was first spotted on Valentia Island in Co Kerry in March having ventured south from his Greenland home. It means he has travelled 2,500 miles along the coast of western Europe, before returning back to Ireland. Patrick Shields, general manager at the five-star Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, photographed Wally on the boat. He joked that staff were surprised to see international guests arriving in the summer of a pandemic. He said: ‘I received a phone call at home to say we had a visitor in the bay since early morning. ‘I was aware that Mike Dunne, …

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The presidents of Ukraine, the Baltic nations and Poland are meeting in Warsaw on Monday to mark the 230th anniversary of their joint constitution, Europe’s first such written democratic document. The neighbouring nations were one single state at that time. The 1791 Constitution was intended to strengthen the country's political system and rule of law and protect it against aggression from neighbouring powers, including Russia. Lithuania's president Gitanas Nauseda said Monday that his country will never accept Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and Moscow's military pressure on eastern Ukraine, or the Kremlin's attempts to influence Belarus. 'I was in a panic': How Belarusians have fled in growing numbers since last year's disputed election Has Lukashenko fatally fractured Belarus' opposition movement? “Lithuania will never recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and will be taking steps toward ending the actual occupation of part …

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Nine French cities, including Paris and Marseille, begin nightly curfews on Saturday London and seven other areas have been deemed level two on the UK's virus alert level, while Liverpool is level three, the most severe on the scale Germany ramps up restrictions as daily cases hit record high The Czech Republic, Italy, Bosnia, Austria, Croatia and Poland have also reported daily high figures The European Commission describes situation as "worrisome" and calls for tough action All times in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC/GMT) 21:43 Spain's Health Ministry has reported more than 13,000 new coronavirus cases. Half of those infections were diagnosed in the past 24 hours, while the rest were diagnosed in recent days but not reported until now. Fernando Simon, the government's top virus expert, said that although the situation was far from ideal, "we have the sensation that we are in a process of stabilization.'' Spain has a total of 921,374 confirmed cases — more than …

[Read more...] about Coronavirus updates: Europe clamps down as second wave hits home

Published 17 June 2018 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing An organisation providing a "safe space" for LGBT and ethnic-minority football fans in Russia says it was evicted from its premises in St Petersburg on the eve of the World Cup. Diversity House was supposed to open for the duration of the tournament. It aimed to provide a tolerant environment for gay and non-white football fans to watch matches. But at the last minute the building's owners locked the organisers out and terminated their contract. "They asked us to leave the place very rudely, switched off the electricity and they explained nothing to us," a local organiser told the BBC. The international Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) network, which was behind the initiative, said it could have been a politically motivated move. Safety fears for gay fans heading to Russia I'm going to Russia to …

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