The United States is delaying the inclusion of Romania in its Visa Waiver Program, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday.
According to a notice on the program’s website, the U.S. government continues to review the country’s eligibility to ensure compliance with the program’s “stringent security requirements,” without providing any information on when the pause might be lifted.
Romania had been due to join Washington’s visa-free travel program at the end of this month, as announced by the outgoing Biden administration in January. The country is one of the last member states of the European Union to be excluded, along with Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says he’s “convinced” that Washington’s decision is “strictly a technical measure” as part of the U.S. reassessment of security risks.
“We will take advantage of this — hopefully short-lasting — delay to work with our American partners to clarify all issues of concern to the U.S. government,” Ciolacu wrote in a post on Facebook.
Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program came amid election turmoil in the country. After far-right presidential candidate Călin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election, the results were annulled in December due to alleged Russian manipulation during the campaign.
The decision to annul the election was harshly criticized by senior figures in U.S. President Donald Trump’s new administration, including Vice President JD Vance and presidential adviser Elon Musk.
Georgescu was also recently barred from running in the repeat of the presidential election on May 4 due to undisclosed campaign financing, but his ally, far-right figurehead George Simion, is the leading choice among the dozen candidates cleared by the authorities, according to a recent poll.
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