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Visa Waivers And Other Border Battles
by Danielle Belopotosky
A European official on Friday reiterated calls for the United States to waive the visa requirement for visitors traveling to the United States from all 25 European Union nations.
Speaking at the University of Pittsburgh EU Center of Excellence, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that while "I appreciate the efforts already made by the U.S. ... we must accelerate this and end this situation of discrimination against" new EU nations.
Under the current U.S. program, visitors from 15 EU nations can enter the United States without visas. The United States set a mandatory deadline of October 2005 for EU nations to meet new standards for passports. Nations must issue biometric passports in order for their citizens to enter the United States without visas.
To date, the United States has not granted visa waivers for Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland or Slovakia. The European Union has urged the United States to offer visa-waiver reciprocity, given that all U.S. citizens currently can travel without visas in EU nations.
"As many as 14 million jobs on both sides of the Atlantic depend on trans-Atlantic commercial ties," Barroso said, noting that the United States also "has much to lose if protectionism rises and globalization's wings are clipped."
But the State Department has maintained its position on the issue. At a January briefing, a senior-level Bush administration official said the EU nations without waivers are aware that they must adopt new technological standards.
"Both the EU and the U.S. realize that the fulfillment of their ambitions cannot be carried out in a vacuum," Barroso said. He further urged both parties to find ways to promote common values and improve cooperation at the World Trade Organization.
On Monday, meanwhile, a North American business coalition proclaimed its opposition to a U.S. proposal that would require U.S. and Canadian citizens to obtain new border-crossing documents.
Borders for Economic Security, Trade and Tourism, a coalition of companies and organizations, has called on the U.S. government to delay the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative until a 2005 U.S. law on standardized driver's licenses is fully implemented. Furthermore, under federal law, citizens from the United States, Canada and Mexico will be required to possess passports or other border-crossing identification by 2008.
The group is concerned that the travel initiative will negatively impact business and commerce ties along the 5,500-mile northern U.S. border with Canada. Today, two-way trade accounts for $1.2 billion each day, which supports more 5 five million jobs, according to the coalition. Moreover, it estimates that the U.S. economy would lose $532 million if just one in 12 Canadians stopped traveling to the United States.
Last month, the Homeland Security and State departments announced a less expensive alternative to passports for travelers who regularly cross borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said an ID card would be developed and issued this year to meet requirements of the travel initiative.
The cards also would be required for U.S. citizens who seek admission to their home countries. The coalition opposes the new crossing card.
As an alternative to the various border ID cards, it supports an enhanced driver's license -- or one that encodes information on cars. The group also set forth policy recommendations that include greater cooperation among the State Department, state driver's licensing agencies and the Canadian government to ensure that provisions of the U.S. act are integrated across borders.
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the Canada, Detroit and Seattle chambers of commerce, and the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region are among the organizations in the coalition.
United Nations To Prep For Internet Forum
An international forum to discuss Internet policy issues is slated to convene its inaugural meeting this October in Athens, Greece, according to the United Nations and Greek government.
In advance of the forum, the United Nations will hold consultations later this week in Geneva to "develop a common understanding of all stakeholders on the nature and character of the [event]," according to an online statement posted on a new forum Web site. Other items on the agenda include setting the priorities of the forum and discussing its structure.
While the forum will have no official oversight function, it aims to encourage governments to foster online freedom and establish global policies for maintaining a secure and stable Internet environment. The subjects include economic and technology development, cultural diversity, and cooperation on reducing unsolicited commercial e-mail and improving cyber security.
The forum grew out of a deal at the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society last November in Tunisia. Under a declaration there, day-to-day Internet governance will remain in the hands of the California-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
Nitin Desai, the U.N. special adviser to the summit, has been tapped by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to hold consultations before the October meeting. The final agenda and structure of the forum will be decided in two additional meetings in May and June.
U.S., Poland Sign Science, Tech Pact
The United States and Poland on Friday signed a science and technology agreement.
The 10-year deal aims to encourage scientific collaboration and joint research, and the greater exchange of ideas, according to the U.S. State Department. Cancer research, training programs, nanotechnology and environmental sciences are among the key areas of pursuit.
Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. undersecretary of State for democracy and global affairs, and Stefan Meller, the Polish minister of foreign affairs signed the pact for their countries.
Taiwan Eyes Limits On Technology Transfers
The Taiwanese legislature is considering draft legislation that would establish legal mechanisms aimed at stopping the transfer of sensitive technologies to other countries, according to news reports in Taipei.
Chen Chien-jen, the Taiwanese minister of the National Science Council, said the proposal includes an alert list of technologies that are imperative to national security. He said the list includes "seed" science and technology, and satellite and space technologies. Chen further stated that the goal is to reduce tech transfers to other countries, including China.
Taiwan's science and technology ministry developed the draft legislation in response to the president's "proactive management with effective liberalization" policy.
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