A group of 75 MEPs have called for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be banned from entering the bloc until he renounces inflammatory statements on Israel and the Holocaust.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The deputies said it looked doubtful whether Mr Ahmadinejad would visit the Iranian squad in Germany for this month's World Cup, as once mooted, but called on EU leaders to take pre-emptive steps to prevent any future visit to Europe.
"There's nothing to stop the EU member states, individually or collectively, issuing a declaration that he will not be granted a visa and will not be able to come to any of the member states," British Conservative Charles Tannock said.
Mr Tannock said the EU had issued visa bans on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko to protest against suspected human rights abuses in their countries.
The 75 MEPs who back the initiative say Mr Ahmadinejad must renounce statements doubting the Holocaust happened and calling for the destruction of Israel, and insisted Tehran comply with international demands to curb nuclear activities.
Germany has resisted calls to ban either Iran from the World Cup or its leader from coming to watch, but it said last month that it was not expecting him.