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May 24, 2007
Congressional Hearing on the Visa Waiver Issue
The
House Foreign Affairs Committee's Europe Subcommittee held a hearing
with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Department
of State regarding the reform and expansion of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The hearing chaired by Robert Wexler (D) highlighted
the importance of the program's expansion and its impact on
transatlantic relations
– specifically with
Hungary
and other Central and Eastern European allies.
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Congressmen Robert Wexler (D-FL) and Elton
Gallegly (R-CA) |
Congressman
Wexler co-sponsored the Emanuel-Shimkus
bill – Visa Waiver Modernization Act (H.R. 1543), a bill that would enhance the VWP's security measures and
allow for the expansion of the program to include countries that are
allies of the
United States. Mr. Wexler said that "the expansion of this program would also
greatly benefit relations with some of our most important global
partners such as Israel, Greece and South Korea as well as many of our
allies in the war on terror including Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Czech
Republic and others who have committed troops, police officers, funding
and material support to missions in Iraq and Afghanistan."
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Members William Delahunt (D-MA),
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Robert Wexler and
Elton Gallegly at the hearing |
Mr. Nathan Sales, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy Development
in the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Policy said that the
proposal to expand the VWP is supported by the
US
administration because "it will create incentives for aspirants and
members alike to enter into arrangements that are desirable from the
security standpoint."
In his testimony, Mr. Stephen Edson, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Visa Services in the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular
Affairs said that "the new requirements under consideration to
strengthen the security of visa-free travel would permit some of our
allies to join the Visa Waiver Program, thereby strengthening
U.S.
bonds with those countries over the long term."
In his written statement, Ambassador András Simonyi underlined
how the current
US
visa regime influences the
image of the
USA
in Central and
Eastern Europe.
Click
here to read the Ambassador’s statement…
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