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UK minister: Brits may need to pay to visit EU

September 11, 2016

Britain's interior minister, Amber Rudd, has said British citizens might need to pay for visits to the EU after the country leaves the bloc. Rudd also said a work permit system might be introduced for EU citizens.

https://p.dw.com/p/1K0Bt
Pass Personalausweis Großbritannien
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Rain

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on Sunday that while having to pay to visit EU countries would not be desirable for Britons, she could not rule the idea out ahead of negotiations after the UK electorate's decision to leave the EU.

British newspaper "The Guardian" on Saturday reported that Britons might need to apply online for permission to travel to Europe through a visa-waiver program called ETIAS, similar to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

When asked if UK nationals might need to pay for visits to an EU country, with France given as an example, Rudd said it remained a possibility.

"I don't think it's particularly desirable, but we don't rule it out, because we have to be allowed a free hand to get the best negotiations," said Rudd. "It's a reminder that this is a two-way negotiation."

France and Germany are both thought to favor a system based on ESTA, which requires visitors from countries that do not need full visas to apply online for permission to travel, preferably 72 hours before they leave, at a cost of $14 (10.5 euros). This would apply to travelers from outside the EU, although it remains unclear whether it would be just for the passport-free Schengen area or the EU as a whole.

Points-based system abandoned

Rudd also said on Sunday she was looking at the use of work permits as a method of controlling immigration from the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May this month rejected a "points-based" system to screen immigrants, a policy that leading Brexit campaigners had promised could be implemented to help control immigration.

Rudd confirmed that the idea had been abandoned, stating that it "simply doesn't work."

Migration control is likely to be one of the most contentious points in talks with the EU on leaving the bloc, with Britain looking to tighten border controls without losing access to the EU single market.

Prime Minister May has yet to trigger Article 50, which would begin the process of Britain leaving the EU.

rc/ tj(AP, Reuters)