Grensbeheerprogramma VS (US VISIT) onder de loep - Main contents

in Nieuws

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  Hennis-Plasschaert leidt EP-delegatie naar de VS -

In het kader van haar rapporteurschap inzake 'de volgende stappen in het grensbeheer van de Europese Unie' (COM2008)69) zal VVD-Europarlementariër Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert a.s. zondag met een delegatie van het Europees Parlement naar Washington DC afreizen om aldaar het zgn. US VISIT Program* te doorlopen.

Eerder dit jaar heeft de Europese Commissie drie nieuwe instrumenten voorgesteld om tot een echt geïntegreerd beheer van de Europese buitengrenzen te komen: (1) het vereenvoudigen van het grensverkeer voor bonafide reizigers (registered traveller program), (2) de invoering van een inreis-/uitreisregistratiesysteem voor onderdanen van derde landen en (3) de invoering van een elektronisch systeem voor reisvergunningen (ESTA). Doel hiervan is het vergroten van de veiligheid en het hoofd bieden aan de oplopende migratiedruk. Naar verwachting worden de wetgevende voorstellen eind volgend jaar ingediend. Reden voor het 3-daags bezoek aan Washington DC (Department of Homeland Security) is het feit dat de voorgestelde maatregelen grote gelijkenissen tonen met de ontwikkelingen in de VS.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert: "De implementatie van US VISIT verloopt niet zonder slag of stoot. De kosten zijn enorm en er zijn grote vraagtekens als het gaat om de effectiviteit. Het is dan ook van groot belang dat wij niet in dezelfde valkuilen trappen."

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  Extra informatie:

The US-VISIT's goals are to enhance the security of US citizens and visitors, facilitate legitimate travel and trade, ensure the integrity of the US immigration system, and protect the privacy of visitors. The US VISIT programme is to achieve these goals by:

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  Collecting, maintaining and sharing information on certain foreign nationals who enter and exit the US;
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  Identifying foreign nationals who (1) have overstayed or violated the terms of their visit, (2) can receive, extend, or adjust their immigration status or (3) should be apprehended or detained by law enforcement officials;
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  Detecting fraudulent travel documents, verifying visitor identity and determining visitor admissibility through the use of biometrics (digital fingerprints and a digital photograph);
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  Facilitating information sharing and coordination within the immigration and border management community.

Following formal statements by US authorities (such as 'other countries are adopting the US-VISIT model to improve their border management systems' , 'we are working with these countries to share best practices and move towards a single approach that provides for secure global travel', and 'as technological means of collecting and using biometrics evolve, it can build upon established capabilities') Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert requested the EC to comment in detail on the ongoing 'talks' with the US authorities. Obviously, she acknowledges that open societies and markets are highly dependent on secure and reliable structures and is therefore not questioning the need for an ongoing and uninterrupted dialogue with third countries, but does believe that such dialogue should be transparent at all times. In that respect Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert would also like to underline the need for an enhancement of the level of political discourse between European and US legislators. She considers it furthermore of utmost importance to take into account the lessons learned in the US. The relevant GAO reports are in that respect particularly interesting. According to the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) 'over 4 years, the American Department of Homeland Security has invested about $1.3 billion and delivered basically one-half of US-VISIT. Over the same period, US-VISIT has allowed to take action (including denial of entry) against a little more than 1.500 people.' This suggests that the cost-effectiveness of such a system is not guaranteed and that economic aspects would also benefit from a careful consideration of experiences abroad.