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EuroNews (26 October 2017)

Germany has the most powerful passport in Europe, while those of Bulgaria and Romania are the least valuable in the EU in terms of visa-free access around the world, a study has revealed.

Singapore was given first place in the global ranking compiled by advisory firm Arton Capital, which measures the power of passports based on citizens’ ability to travel the world without obtaining a visa at all, or by getting one upon arrival.

The tiny city-state previously shared first place in the index with Germany, but was pushed to the lone number one spot in the latest ranking after Paraguay removed visa requirements.

In Europe, Germany ranked first, with citizens able to travel to 158 countries without a visa. 

Sweden followed closely behind, coming third in the global ranking with a visa-free score of 157. Denmark, Finland, Italy, France, Spain, Norway and the United Kingdom all shared the fourth spot.

At the bottom of the EU countries were Bulgaria and Romania, who both had a visa-free score of 143.

Outside of Europe, the US came in joint sixth place, marking a drop in the passport’s power since President Donald Trump took office.

Afghanistan landed the bottom position of the global ranking, followed by Iraq, Pakistan and Syria.