Maltese travellers to the US will have to pay $10 (€7) for visiting the country if a proposal before Congress is accepted.
As the island forms part of the US Visa Waiver Programme, Maltese travellers to the US do not need to apply and pay for a visa. However, they would need to be in possession of a biometric passport and have to register for travel clearance, online, free-of-charge, through ESTA (Electronic System fir Travel Authorisation) at least 72 hours prior to departure.
The US is now considering imposing a charge of $10 on ESTA registration even on travellers from the 35 countries, members of the Visa Waiver Programme, including all EU member states.
Ambassador John Bruton, the EU representative in Washington, said yesterday the proposal should be scrapped as it would put an added burden on European citizens. He warned that the EU might impose a similar travel fee for US travellers visiting Europe as a counter-measure.
According to the Congressional proposal, the fee would finance a new US programme promoting travel by educating foreign visitors on US entry procedures. But on this point, Mr Bruton said that "only in Alice In Wonderland could a penalty be seen as promoting the activity on which it is imposed".
Mr Bruton, a former Irish Prime Minister, said the EU would have to reconsider whether the US registration system containing the new fee would amount to another form of visa.
One of the Bill sponsors, William Delahunt, from the Democratic Party, said the EU was getting too worked up over what he called "a nominal fee". Brussels, he said, was taking the issue seriously mainly not because of its financial implications but due to the political message being sent on US-EU relations.
According to Michele Cercone, the European Commission's spokesman for security, "the introduction of a fee would represent a step backwards in our joint endeavour to ease transatlantic mobility". He said the move would also require a new assessment by the European Commission to evaluate whether it was tantamount to a visa or not.
It is estimated that 13 million EU citizens travel to the US every year.