"In the past three months, we have intensified contacts with the US and Canada to push for full visa waiver reciprocity. On Monday, I hosted talks with Ministers from Canada, Bulgaria and Romania. What these talks confirmed is a clear perspective of progress in coming months," Avramopoulos said in a statement.
While negotiating with the United States on the issue, it is important to take into account the upcoming presidential elections in the country, the EU commissioner noted.
"The decision the Commission took today was to continue these contacts and to intensify them. In the coming months, we will make it our priority to make progress through continued dialogue with those two strategic partners," he added.
On April 12, the European Commission called on the European Parliament and the Council to launch discussion on the temporary visa regime introduction with the United States and Canada, in retaliation for these countries' failure to ensure visa lifting for the EU states.
Both Washington and Ottawa have entry visa requirements for Bucharest and Sofia that joined the European Union in 2007.
