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Scottish Sun
38 minutes ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Brits to face even pricier new visas when travelling to Europe – despite not even launching yet
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOLIDAYS to Europe could get more expensive as the European Commission looks to ramp up fees for a new travel document that has not even been introduced yet. The EU is gearing up to introduce the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) scheme next year, following the introduction of the Entry/Exit system. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The EU is gearing up to introduce the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) scheme next year Credit: Alamy Essentially, ETIAS will be a requirement for any non-EU national from a visa-exempt countries which includes the UK, for short-term stays in the Schengen Area. But the online fee to enter the ETIAS scheme could be more than initially planned. Current plans for travellers heading from outside the bloc include them paying €7 (£5.98) as part of an online application. However, now the European Union is looking to raise that price, despite the scheme not even having launched yet. The reason for this is because they want to use the fee to help with repayments on a €350billion (£299 billion) debt, which was used to fund the post-Covid recovery, reports Politico. Currently it is estimated that only €215million would enter the EU's budget from the ETIAS fee after operational fees are deducted. For Brits, this would be another blow as they already face longer queues since Brexit. The publication added how ETIAS is one of the more popular tax choices ahead of budget plans which are due to be discussed next month. The documents revealed by Politico state: "Given that the EU fee for ETIAS is one of the lowest among comparable systems in the world, it seems there is a possibility of a gradual increase of the fee, strengthening the long-term revenue potential." The fee is currently lower than the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which is required from non-Brits to enter the UK and costs £16. All Brits aged 18-70 will have to pay to visit Europe from next year – here is everything you need to know about ETIAS It is also less than the current Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Brits need to visit America which is $21 (£15.60). Sun Travel has contacted the European Commission for comment. At the moment the price for ETIAS remains at €7. It will be free for those under the age of 18 and over the age of 70. Once the system is live, some travellers may also be exempt. However, the system is not live yet and currently is not taking applications and people have been warned of fake websites attempting to catch out travellers. ETIAS will apply to short stays, which refers to holidays or business trips that have a duration of up to 90 days in any 180 day period. Although, if you are travelling on a visa, you will not need an ETIAS. Irish passport holders are also exempt from ETIAS. Brits could also face travel chaos ahead of the new scheme. There have also been warnings of a scam which is catching tourists out, ahead of the European visa rule change. Plus, these are all the new travel rules Brits face in 2025 from biometric checks to visa-waivers.
The Irish Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Brits to face even pricier new visas when travelling to Europe – despite not even launching yet
HOLIDAYS to Europe could get more expensive as the European Commission looks to ramp up fees for a new travel document that has not even been introduced yet. The EU is gearing up to introduce the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) scheme next year, following the introduction of the Advertisement 2 The EU is gearing up to introduce the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) scheme next year Credit: Alamy Essentially, ETIAS will be a requirement for any non-EU national from a visa-exempt countries which includes the UK, for short-term stays in the But the online fee to enter the ETIAS scheme could be more than initially planned. Current plans for travellers heading from outside the bloc include them paying €7 (£5.98) as part of an online application. However, now the European Union is looking to raise that price, despite the scheme not even having launched yet. Advertisement Read more on Europe The reason for this is because they want to use the fee to help with repayments on a €350billion (£299 billion) debt, which was used to fund the post-Covid recovery, reports Currently it is estimated that only €215million would enter the EU's budget from the ETIAS fee after operational fees are deducted. For Brits, this would be another blow as they already face longer queues since Brexit. The publication added how ETIAS is one of the more popular tax choices ahead of budget plans which are due to be discussed next month. Advertisement Most read in News Travel The documents revealed by Politico state: "Given that the EU fee for ETIAS is one of the lowest among comparable systems in the world, it seems there is a possibility of a gradual increase of the fee, strengthening the long-term revenue potential." The fee is currently lower than the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which is required from non-Brits to enter the UK and costs £16. All Brits aged 18-70 will have to pay to visit Europe from next year – here is everything you need to know about ETIAS It is also less than the current Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Brits need to visit America which is $21 (£15.60). Sun Travel has contacted the European Commission for comment. Advertisement At the moment the price for ETIAS remains at €7. It will be free for those under the age of 18 and over the age of 70. Once the system is live, some travellers may also be exempt. However, the system is not live yet and currently is not taking applications and people have been warned of fake websites attempting to catch out travellers. Advertisement ETIAS will apply to short stays, which refers to holidays or business trips that have a duration of up to 90 days in any 180 day period. Although, if you are travelling on a visa, you will not need an ETIAS. Irish passport holders are also exempt from ETIAS. Advertisement There have also been Plus, these are 2 This is because the EU is looking to pay back it's debt following the pandemic Credit: Alamy
Pink Villa
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Box Office: Sitaare Zameen Par flirts with a double digit opening day; Aamir Khan starrer eyes at big Saturday jump
The Aamir Khan-led Sitaare Zameen Par has taken a fair start at the box office in India, with the business growing from strength to strength from morning till evening. According to very early trends, the RS Prasanna-directorial is looking to collect in the range of Rs 9.50 crore to Rs 10.50 crore on the opening day, with a large chunk of business coming in from the urban centres. The top 3 national chains – PVRInox and Cinepolis – are looking to collect in the range of Rs 6.75 crore nett, contributing 65 percent to the total business. The ratio could go a little lower depending on where the actuals land in the morning, but a 65 percent ratio seems apt for a film of this genre. The numbers are fair for the genre, though not so good for Aamir Khan, who has opened films in the similar genre at much higher numbers. The dynamics of business have changed in the post-Covid world, which has put limitations on the opening day of films in a rather non-commercial genre, but the positive for Sitaare Zameen Par rests in the fact that the initial reports for the film are on the positive side. The occupancy too is showing gains towards the evening and night shows, setting up the film well for spikes on Saturday and Sunday. Sitaare Zameen Par has very good advances for Saturday, as the film has already sold 40,000 tickets in PVRInox alone as on Friday at 5.30 PM, and will be looking to close with pre-sales around the 65,000 ticket mark by mid-night. Cinepolis on the other hand has sold approx. 10,000 tickets for Saturday at the same time. For those unaware, Sitaare Zameen Par had sold 38,000 tickets in PVRInox for Friday as on Thursday mid-night, and this is a jump of almost 70 percent in advance booking. The film should be aiming at a 60 to 80 percent jump on Saturday, and then consolidate with another 20 percent jump on Sunday, which would put it in a fairly good spot to register a trend of sorts on the weekdays. All eyes now on the Saturday jump.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
RBI Governor pushes for growth-backed policies as global uncertainty clouds India's investment outlook: MPC minutes
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra cautioned that rising global uncertainty could postpone business investment decisions. He noted that post-COVID recovery has been driven by public investments, with private sector investment remaining weak despite favorable conditions. Malhotra emphasized the necessity of implementing policies that actively support economic growth in the face of these challenges. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Growth and inflation outlook Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Rising global uncertainty may cause businesses to delay investment decisions, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said, stressing the need for policies that support economic growth , in his statement, released on Friday, as a part of the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.'On the investment front, the post-Covid recovery so far has been largely led by public investments, while private sector investments have been weak despite high capacity utilisation and improved corporate balance sheets. Moreover, heightened global uncertainties may put on hold investment decisions by businesses, underscoring the need for growth supportive policies,' Malhotra its June meeting, the MPC decided to cut the benchmark repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%. The committee expects that this dual-rate cut will significantly reduce lending rates, thereby, encouraging both investment and consumption, particularly in durable the decision, Malhotra said, 'It is expected that the front-loaded rate action along with certainty on the liquidity front would send a clear signal to the economic agents, thereby supporting consumption and investment through lower cost of borrowing.'The RBI had earlier indicated that investment activity is likely to improve, supported by higher capacity utilisation, better corporate balance sheets across both financial and non-financial sectors, and continued capital expenditure by the the overall investment landscape remains uneven. 'Domestically, the recovery of economic growth to 7.4% in Q4:2025 from 6.4% in Q3:2025 was a pleasant surprise. It helped to close the year 2024-25 with 6.5% growth overall. However, the recovery has not been broad-based. It was supported by the rural consumption and government capex. Private investment, especially in manufacturing, and urban consumption, have continued to remain subdued,' said MPC member Nagesh Kumar in his added, 'It is not clear that the growth momentum will continue in the Q1 of the current year, given the fact that consumption and investment growth is moderating. The survey of corporate performance shows that companies are deleveraging their balance sheets with rising profits. Despite the capacity utilisation crossing beyond 75%, the investment intentions in manufacturing have moderated in 2025-26. The difficult external environment is likely to further complicate the economic growth outlook for 2025-26, especially for the manufacturing sector outlook, with implications for job creation. It calls for supporting growth through both fiscal and monetary policy.'Despite the concerns around external volatility, the RBI's rate-setting panel in its June MPC meeting retained its GDP growth forecast for FY26 at 6.5%, with quarterly estimates holding economy grew at 7.4% in the March quarter, marking the fastest pace in the past four quarters. However, the full-year FY25 growth settled at 6.5%, slightly below the average of recent years. Governor Malhotra had acknowledged persistent external challenges such as geopolitical conflicts and changing trade policies, but remained confident in the domestic economic momentum, supported by a strong monsoon forecast and continued strength in the services central bank maintained its quarterly growth projections for FY26 at 6.5% in Q1, 6.7% in Q2, 6.6% in Q3, and 6.3% in Q4. 'Services sector is expected to maintain its momentum. However, spillovers emanating from protracted geopolitical tensions, and global trade and weather-related uncertainties pose downside risks to growth,' the MPC had added that the Indian economy is progressing well and largely in line with expectations, despite the headwinds from the global the inflation front, the RBI had revised its forecast downward for FY26 to 3.7%, from the earlier projection of 4% made in April. The downward revision came amid a sustained drop in price had highlighted that headline inflation fell to a nearly six-year low in April, driven by easing food prices and deflation in fuel. Core inflation remained stable despite global commodity market RBI's latest quarter-wise inflation projections were 2.9% for Q1, 3.4% in Q2, 3.5% in Q3, and 4.4% in Q4. The central bank had stated that risks to the inflation outlook were 'evenly balanced.'With inflation easing and the economy showing selective strength, the RBI and the MPC have chosen to support momentum while remaining cautious of evolving global dynamics.
Economic Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
RBI Governor pushes for growth-backed policies as global uncertainty clouds India's investment outlook: MPC minutes
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra cautioned that rising global uncertainty could postpone business investment decisions. He noted that post-COVID recovery has been driven by public investments, with private sector investment remaining weak despite favorable conditions. Malhotra emphasized the necessity of implementing policies that actively support economic growth in the face of these challenges. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Growth and inflation outlook Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Rising global uncertainty may cause businesses to delay investment decisions, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said, stressing the need for policies that support economic growth , in his statement, released on Friday, as a part of the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.'On the investment front, the post-Covid recovery so far has been largely led by public investments, while private sector investments have been weak despite high capacity utilisation and improved corporate balance sheets. Moreover, heightened global uncertainties may put on hold investment decisions by businesses, underscoring the need for growth supportive policies,' Malhotra its June meeting, the MPC decided to cut the benchmark repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%. The committee expects that this dual-rate cut will significantly reduce lending rates, thereby, encouraging both investment and consumption, particularly in durable the decision, Malhotra said, 'It is expected that the front-loaded rate action along with certainty on the liquidity front would send a clear signal to the economic agents, thereby supporting consumption and investment through lower cost of borrowing.'The RBI had earlier indicated that investment activity is likely to improve, supported by higher capacity utilisation, better corporate balance sheets across both financial and non-financial sectors, and continued capital expenditure by the the overall investment landscape remains uneven. 'Domestically, the recovery of economic growth to 7.4% in Q4:2025 from 6.4% in Q3:2025 was a pleasant surprise. It helped to close the year 2024-25 with 6.5% growth overall. However, the recovery has not been broad-based. It was supported by the rural consumption and government capex. Private investment, especially in manufacturing, and urban consumption, have continued to remain subdued,' said MPC member Nagesh Kumar in his added, 'It is not clear that the growth momentum will continue in the Q1 of the current year, given the fact that consumption and investment growth is moderating. The survey of corporate performance shows that companies are deleveraging their balance sheets with rising profits. Despite the capacity utilisation crossing beyond 75%, the investment intentions in manufacturing have moderated in 2025-26. The difficult external environment is likely to further complicate the economic growth outlook for 2025-26, especially for the manufacturing sector outlook, with implications for job creation. It calls for supporting growth through both fiscal and monetary policy.'Despite the concerns around external volatility, the RBI's rate-setting panel in its June MPC meeting retained its GDP growth forecast for FY26 at 6.5%, with quarterly estimates holding economy grew at 7.4% in the March quarter, marking the fastest pace in the past four quarters. However, the full-year FY25 growth settled at 6.5%, slightly below the average of recent years. Governor Malhotra had acknowledged persistent external challenges such as geopolitical conflicts and changing trade policies, but remained confident in the domestic economic momentum, supported by a strong monsoon forecast and continued strength in the services central bank maintained its quarterly growth projections for FY26 at 6.5% in Q1, 6.7% in Q2, 6.6% in Q3, and 6.3% in Q4. 'Services sector is expected to maintain its momentum. However, spillovers emanating from protracted geopolitical tensions, and global trade and weather-related uncertainties pose downside risks to growth,' the MPC had added that the Indian economy is progressing well and largely in line with expectations, despite the headwinds from the global the inflation front, the RBI had revised its forecast downward for FY26 to 3.7%, from the earlier projection of 4% made in April. The downward revision came amid a sustained drop in price had highlighted that headline inflation fell to a nearly six-year low in April, driven by easing food prices and deflation in fuel. Core inflation remained stable despite global commodity market RBI's latest quarter-wise inflation projections were 2.9% for Q1, 3.4% in Q2, 3.5% in Q3, and 4.4% in Q4. The central bank had stated that risks to the inflation outlook were 'evenly balanced.'With inflation easing and the economy showing selective strength, the RBI and the MPC have chosen to support momentum while remaining cautious of evolving global dynamics.
