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.
EuPlătesc.ro, one of Romania’s leading payment processors, has added Visa’s Click to Pay solution to its portfolio, offering retailers a modern, secure, and efficient online payment method. According to Visa estimates, this solution has the potential to increase online revenue for European retailers by up to 30%. Through this integration, EuPlătesc strengthens its mission to […]
In a decisive step toward digital inclusion and in alignment with the European Accessibility Act, ASSIST Software and Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava (USV) have officially launched A(I)BILITIES, a groundbreaking AI project designed to create adaptive, personalized user experiences for people with disabilities. The initiative is powered by generative AI technologies and aims to […]
Diana Buzoianu, Romania’s new environment minister, announced on Wednesday, July 16, that “Rabla,” the government-sponsored scrappage scheme aiming to replace older, polluting cars with newer models, will be resumed with a RON 200 million budget. The minister made the announcement on her Facebook page, highlighting the budgetary difficulties facing the Romanian executive at the moment. […]
Around 88% of Romanians declare they love their country and are proud of it, but only half believe it offers a good future for their children and future generations, according to an INSCOP Research survey. Around 75% of Romanians completely agree with the statement “I love Romania and I am proud of my country,” while […]
Maramureș International Airport in northern Romania has submitted a funding request for the implementation of a renewable energy project aimed at constructing a 2.5 MW photovoltaic park and an integrated battery storage system. The application was officially filed on July 14, according to the official announcement. The investment will cover the airport’s full electricity needs […]
Romania will face some of the most severe economic consequences of heatwaves in Europe, with projected losses expected to exceed -2.5% of GDP by 2055–2064 due to lowered labor productivity, according to research published in Nature Communications and quoted by Euronews. ...
