An essential liberty

The news that the US visa will be removed with effect from next Tuesday is welcome indeed. Since EU accession, Malta had protested that, despite having removed the visa requirement on US citizens travelling to Malta, the US had not removed the visa requirement on Maltese citizens travelling to the US. Another 11 countries were in the same situation as us.

Apart from being costly, the visa requirement was particularly annoying because there was no reciprocity of treatment and people rightly felt that its continued application was unfair.

Many people protested with me over the US visa and readers will recall that I had tackled this issue in this column on a couple of occasions. I also raised the issue in parliamentary questions and parliamentary debates and during a parliamentary visit to the US Department of Homeland Security in which I participated last September.

So I am very glad that we are now waving goodbye to the US visa once and for all and I am sure that this news is also appreciated by Maltese citizens. Not just because it makes travelling easier for Maltese citizens but, more importantly, because it gives us equal treatment with other citizens in the EU and in the US.

The removal of the visa rewards the Maltese government's unstinting efforts over the past years. But credit is also due to Molly Bordonaro, the US Ambassador in Malta, who has crowned her successful stint in our country with yet another positive, concrete and popular achievement.

All in all, I would say that this has been a very good year in as far as our right to freedom of movement goes. There are at least another three achievements which are certainly worthy of mention.

Firstly, the introduction of the euro this year. It seems like ages ago, but in fact, it is less than 12 months ago that we changed our currency to switch to the euro. Quite apart from its benefits in shielding us (and other eurozone countries) from the full impact of the recent financial turmoil, our new world-class currency has made it easier for us to travel in another 14 European countries, 15 from next week when Slovakia joins the euro area. Gone are the days when we had to change currency to travel to places like Rome and Paris. Who knows, perhaps even London, another favourite destination for Maltese travellers, might one day be in the eurozone.

To think that so many arguments were made to postpone our adoption of the euro!

Secondly, our entry into the Schengen zone. In March this year we joined another 23 countries in the Schengen free movement area. Joining Schengen - which has since grown to 25 countries with the entry of Switzerland this month - has meant that we have broken down yet another barrier to free movement. The days of queuing at immigration desks and being asked all sorts of awkward questions are finally a thing of the past. Never mind the days when we were stopped at Customs to declare our chocolates which now seem like a century ago.

Thirdly, the removal of departure tax. On November 1 this year, the departure tax was finally removed. Not a day too soon. Having been introduced in 1998 at the rate of Lm10, it was doubled at the end of 2004 to Lm20 in an unpopular move that was met with a chorus of disapproval and protests on the compatibility of this tax with EU law. Ultimately, it was this incompatibility that triggered the demise of the departure tax as the European Commission prepared to file papers in the European Court of Justice to have it declared illegal.

The removal of the departure tax has made travelling easier because it has made it cheaper. But, all in all, travelling has also been rendered cheaper with more competition in air travel, not least as a result of low-cost carriers.

For islanders whose only real option for travelling is air transport, the cost of travel is a determining factor in gauging the true meaning of freedom of movement.

This is why the departure tax was so much disliked - because by raising the cost of travel, people felt that it undermined their freedom to move, a freedom that we have come to cherish and regard as an essential liberty.

This is also why the adoption of the euro, the entry into Schengen and the removal of the US visa are welcome.

Three cheers to that. And Merry Christmas to all!

Readers who would like to ask questions to be answered in this column can send an e-mail, identifying themselves, to contact@simonbusuttil.eu or through www.simonbusuttil.eu.

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist, member of the European Parliament.