August 13, 2007
What Brussels should do about Washington’s latest security clampdown
Once again, Europeans are fuming over a US measure designed to combat the threat of global terrorism. This time round, it is the tightening of US immigration and customs rules that have sparked anger in Brussels and other European capitals. According to a recent bill that implements the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, European citizens that currently don’t require a visa to enter the US will have to notify US authorities a certain period of time before departure.
While tourists and business travellers will find this requirement annoying, to say the least, the much greater threat to the transatlantic economy is posed by a second new measure - namely the requirement that every single cargo container shipped or flown into the US must be screened before sent across the Atlantic.
Since the bill was signed into law by George W. Bush, the US Department of Homeland Security has been keen to play down the effects of the new measures. In particular, it stressed that - contrary to earlier reports - travellers would not have to register with the US authorities 48 hours before every departure, but only once every one or two years. On container screening, the department said it will work closely with the country’s trading partners to ensure the measure don’t damage global trade flows.
Such assurances are unlikely to cut much ice with European policymakers. What really annoys people here in Brussels is that the new measures have undercut a pilot scheme on port security that was agreed by both sides only last year. The idea was - quite sensibly - to see how the screening process works in practise before going ahead with a more sweeping proposal.
However, with the US gradually shifting into election mode, the Democrats on Capitol Hill saw a chance to "overtake the Republicans on the right" - as one Washington lobbyist put it - and forced through the full screening provisions without waiting for the results of the pilot scheme.
Notwithstanding the recent soothing pronouncements from Homeland Security, the pre-registration requirement has also caused deep frustration. For years the EU has tried to get Washington to drop the visa requirement for the 12 member states whose citizens must still apply for permission to enter the US. Now - despite some easing - the visa requirement remains in place for several EU countries, while the remaining countries will be hit by the potentially bothersome registration demand.
The EU feels, above all, that it has earnestly tried to accommodate US security concerns, even though privately they are widely regarded in the EU capital as pointless, disproportionate or both. It is gradually dawning on policymakers that there will be little payback for their efforts.
What should the EU do? The Commission last week floated the idea of setting up a reciprocal pre-registration regime for US citizens travelling to Europe. Surely, this is a bad idea. Ultimately, the losers of the US security crackdown will be its own citizens, as prices for imported goods rise and overseas visitors head for more welcoming destinations. The EU should swallow its pride, ignore the US lead and keep its borders open to both goods and visitors.
