Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) - Main contents

in Nieuws

Gisteren hebben de Amerikanen aangekondigd dat, met ingang van januari 2009, iedereen die naar de VS wil reizen (visumplichtig of niet) zich 72 uur voor vertrek via het internet zal moeten registreren middels het zogenoemde 'Electronic System for Travel Authorization'(ESTA).

In antwoord op vragen van The Washington Post, zei Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert het volgende:

In my view the objective of the Visa Waiver Programme (allowing visa free travel to the USA) is seriously undermined here.

Of course, it is naive to assume that a traveller from a visa waiver country automatically constitutes a lesser threat than a visa applicant who has undergone greater scrutiny prior to travel. However, the question is whether this measure is going to tackle that problem as such. I doubt it. Transatlantic cooperation between the intelligence services is the only way forward, not the massive collection of data in general.

In addition to the above-mentioned, I seriously oppose to the underlying assumption: all travellers are put under surveillance and are considered a priori as potential law breakers. It contributes to an atmosphere of general distrust especially towards third country nationals, while it remains to be proved how significantly it will help in fighting terrorism (on top of all other measures like the collection of PNR data).

Without doubt the US-EU partnership, and its unparalleled strategic and economic dimension, is of utmost importance as the benefits of these close relations reach well beyond the USA and the EU. It is therefore important to enhance the level of political discourse between European and US legislators and to avoid a kind of acceleration of far reaching proposals as is the case right now.