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Comment by pmontra | Hacker News Reader

The USA offers to continue the free visa agreement. If that ends, for reciprocity there won't be free visas for USA travelers to Europe too. It's lose lose but one of the two parties is always going to lose more than the other one. Which one? In the case of tourism probably Europe loses more from less USA tourists because of visa friction than the USA loses from European tourists staying at home. Business? It will take more time to setup a travel but people that have to travel will travel anyway.

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Business can be conducted via webex and zoom ornon neutral 3rd party grounds if need be.

I would feel sorry if american tourists would need a visa for europe, as the americans which do travel and get aroynd are the nicest people, first timers get to see the world from another perspective.

I prefer if americans travel for holidays rather than....forgive me...in military uniforms.

Curious about free visas, as EU citizen in 2018 we had to go through full ESTA US visa approval process just to have a freakin' connecting flight in Miami to South America including paying for it, nothing free.

Its due to badly designed Miami airport compared to literally anywhere else in the world I've been, that you can't connect within 'safe' restricted zone after security checkin. No, you basically need to exit airport with all security involved (walk around checkins, go outside if you want) to get to your next flight, and walk throught all security again. At least luggage was transferred automatically, but most airports in undeveloped countries can manage that too.

This is just a protection racket. Demanding something new to maintain an existing mutually beneficial arrangement is simple greed.

In theory, the European governments could always waive reciprocity on their end and continue allowing travel from the US, if that's the biggest thing stopping them from refusing. On the other hand, that wouldn't leave the US with any "consequence" for not reaching a deal.

Note that it's not at all unprecedented for US/Europe/etc travelers to be offered visa-free access without reciprocity for exactly this reason. The whole concept of "passport power" implies there are a lot of countries that give US citizens access without a visa without the US and other countries giving them the same.

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