According to Reuters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday the United States is considering adding four countries to its visa waiver program that allows citizens to come to America without a visa for a stay of up to 90 days. "We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania," Mayorkas said on Tuesday at a travel industry event. "We're very, very focused on the program," he added, saying it provides significant economic and security benefits. In September, the United States added Croatia to the visa waiver program. U.S. Travel Association Chief Executive Roger Dow said on Tuesday adding Croatia is a $100 million boost to the U.S. economy. "Each time you add one of these countries, the travel just booms," Dow said. The White House said in August after a meeting between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that Biden emphasized "his administration would strengthen bilateral cooperation with Israel in ways that would benefit both U.S. citizens and Israeli citizens, including by working together towards Israel’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program." Mayorkas also met with Israel's U.S. ambassador in August and discussed the waiver issue. In February, Mayorkas spoke with the European Commission’s Commissioner for Home Affairs and both "expressed their continued interest in maintaining the U.S.-EU Passenger Name Record Agreement and working with Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania to meet the qualifications for the Visa Waiver Program." To participate in the program, a country must meet requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management. There are currently 40 countries in the program. "These requirements include having a rate of nonimmigrant visa refusals below 3%, issuing secure travel documents, and working closely with U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism authorities," DHS said last month.
The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) announced the team for the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOF) Bakuriani 2025, which will take place in Georgia from February 9 to 16. Twenty athletes will compete in four disciplines, namely biathlon, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. The biathlon team comprises eight athletes, evenly split between […]
About 5.7 tons of waste, including over 3 tons of plastic, have been collected in the last two years from several of Romania’s rivers through the log boom system, the Romanian Waters National Administration (Apele Române) announced. The project has focused on major rivers across Romania, such as the Jiu River in Rovinari, where 3,100 […]
Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, one of the largest players in the food and non-food consumer goods market, is closing its ice cream factory in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, and moving part of the production to Romania, in Suceava, according to Ziarul Financiar. The move comes just a few months after Unilever announced that it would separate its […]
Romania received another F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from Norway this week, completing the 48th Fighter Squadron with a full fleet of 16 fighter jets. The aircraft landed at the "General Emanoil Ionescu" 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii on Thursday, January 30. The acquisition is part of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing Romania's security […]
Romanian football team FCSB was defeated 0-2 by the UK’s Manchester United on Thursday, January 30, in the last round of the main group stage of the Europa League. The Romanian champions finished their group in 11th and secured qualification for the competition's play-offs. Roughly 3,000 English fans were present in Bucharest for the match. […]
A new market analysis by independent French company nPerf revealed a competitive landscape in the mobile technology sector in Romania. Orange continues to hold its position as the market leader, as its subscribers enjoyed the best mobile internet performances in 2024, including for 5G. The barometer analyzed various factors, such as download...
