WASHINGTON/VILNIUS - U.S. congressman and long-time friend of the Baltics John Shimkus, an Illinois Republican, has urged the House of Representatives to welcome Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to the Visa Waiver Program. As co-chairman of the house Baltic caucus, Shimkus applauded amendments to the immigration bill that allow for a two-year trial expansion of the Visa Waiver Program.
Under the said program, citizens of most EU countries can visit the United States for business or holiday, and stay for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. At the same time, Shimkus criticized one of the amendment's requirements: Only those countries that dispatch the equivalent of - and no less than - a battalion (which consists of 300 to 1,000 military personnel) to the U.S.-led operations in Iraq and Afghanistan can apply for a visa waiver. "I feel that it is ineffective to place a number requirement on these smaller countries in the region. All three Baltic states have been steadfast and supportive allies of the United States since regaining independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, and have continued to demonstrate their support in the ongoing War on Terror," said Shimkus, who has initiated many resolutions and bills in favor of the Baltic states.
"While these countries fall short of this amendment's required troop number, it seems to me that the best way to evaluate a country's eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program is to determine whether the country is a good ally and friend to the United States, not put a number on their commitment," Shimkus said. He highlighted the fact that several of the 27 countries already in the Visa Waiver Program had committed zero troops to either mission. "Why should such a requirement be placed on those countries that have already made a sacrifice when others are rewarded for their non-participation?" Shimkus asked rhetorically.
In his words, the military of small countries like Lithuania, which has a population of 3.5 million, Latvia (2.3 million) and Estonia (1.3 million) clearly cannot compete with that of Poland, for example, which has over 38 million citizens - 30 million more than all 3 Baltic States combined.
"I feel that it is irresponsible to belittle their commitment and sacrifice to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom by not allowing them into the Visa Waiver Program within the specifics of the amendment," Shimkus stressed.
He reminded fellow congressmen that each of the Baltic states had troops participating in NATO missions, and that one of Afghanistan's provincial reconstruction teams was led by Lithuanian troops.
"Do these soldiers operating within the North American Treaty Organization not count towards their troop commitment in the language of this amendment? These are important questions that need to be addressed," the U.S. congressman said
Lithuania has assigned some 60 troops to the international operation in Iraq, and boasts 130 troops in Afghanistan.
Shimkus also emphasized that the Baltic countries were working to update their border security to the highest standards. As an example he pointed to biometric passports, which the Baltic states adopted well before many of their European neighbors.
Apart from troop requirements, the amendments passed by the Senate on May 17 further stipulate that, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Office, only EU members and countries that pose no terrorist threat can apply for the Visa Waiver Program. So far, Poland is the only country that meets all three requirements.
The amendments have yet to be approved by the House of Representatives and the president. On Lithuania's part, the government has already begun implementing the Visa Waiver Roadmap proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush last February. The plan aims to help new EU members reach visa-free requirements, which are met when less than 2 percent of a country's visitors violate U.S. immigration rules and less than 3 percent of visa applications are rejected. For the past several years, the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania has rejected about 30 percent of all visa applications.
