No progress on Malta's entry into US visa programme

Despite various meetings between European Union and United States officials, there has been no tangible progress registered on the issue of extending the US visa waiver programme (VWP) to the 'new' EU member states, including Malta.

Following the third EU-US meeting of the policy dialogue on border and transport security held in Brussels on Thursday, sources told The Sunday Times that although the visa waiver programme was discussed, no real progress was made and the situation is still the same as prior to enlargement.

Last February, Malta requested the US to remove the need for travel visas for all EU citizens from the 'new' EU member states visiting the US as is already the practice for citizens from the 'old' member states.

During a meeting in Brussels with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Malta's Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, on behalf of the 'new' EU members, had told Ms Rice that now that the EU has expanded, it is high time that the US revises its policy on travel visas required for entry into the US.

However the US is still resisting this call, citing security reasons. The US is arguing that member states should be judged on their own individual merits and not as part of the EU block. According to the US, the 'new' member states do not yet qualify to be part of the programme.

At present, all 'old' EU members, except Greece, benefit from a VWP, which allows their citizens to enter the US visa-free for up to 90 days. Among the 'new' members, only Slovenia has been given the 'green light' from the US to become part of the visa waiver programme.

Amid the strict requirements to qualify for the VWP, countries must first meet a threshold requirement of an average non-immigrant visitor refusal rate of less than 3%. Once that threshold is met, other criteria come into play. These include the issue of machine-readable passports that, after October 26, have to be biometrically enhanced.

Countries must also offer visa-free travel to American citizens, certify that they report the loss or theft of blank passports to the US Government, and have a low rate of immigration violations and refused admissions.

Apart from all this, the US Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, must also make a positive determination regarding the impact the country's potential VWP participation would have on US national security and law enforcement interests.

The EU-US discussions also focused on the issue of biometric passports which the US is requesting to become mandatory for US visa-free entry as from next October. The EU has already asked for a postponement. However the US authorities turned down this request.

Sources told The Sunday Times that even on this issue, no progress was registered between the two sides.