The Black Sea area out of the Visa Waiver programme

The Visa Waiver for Romanians traveling to the USA is still a remote goal.

Roxana Vasile, 02.02.2016, 13:45

There are no favourable conditions for Romania to become part of the Visa Waiver programme in 2016. The announcement on Monday was made by US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, who confirmed the visa waiver for Romanians traveling to the United States was still a remote objective. According to ambassador Klemm, Romania doesn’t stand many chances to become part of the programme for two reasons.

One is that visa applicants register a refusal rate that surpasses the legally required level of 3 per cent. The latest statistics made public more than a year ago show that, in spite of the progress made in this direction, this rate is considerably higher — standing at around 10%. On the other hand, the political context in the USA does not favour amendments to the law raising the minimum threshold required. As all the other needed steps for the Visa Waiver programme have been taken, the refusal rate is the only impediment to the Romanians’ free traveling to the United States.

Under the present circumstances, a possible solution might be, according to ambassador Klemm, that Romanians may learn about the eligibility requirements to see, even before applying for a visa, if they qualify for it or not. A joint effort from both the Romanian and US authorities is needed to better explain to the Romanian applicants those eligibility requirements. But the joint Romanian-US efforts are exceeding the visa issue by far! Connected through a strategic partnership both Bucharest and Washington regard “security” as the centerpiece of their relations, centerpiece which is not confined only to military cooperation but it includes sustainable economic growth and the rule of law.

In the field of economy, attracting bigger US investment in Romania is being hindered by the lack of a modern infrastructure in the transport and the energy sectors. In the opinion of the US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, deepening Romania’s EU integration and a better use of community resources available, would be extremely beneficial for the creation of an infrastructure profitable for investors.

As regards the process of strengthening the rule of law, the US official has hailed the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate, recalling that Romania went up 10 positions in the latest Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. And last but not least, both NATO partners, Romania and the United States, are interested that the Black Sea be an area of free navigation and a pole of stability. In a complicated geopolitical context, the United States and its allies, pay increasing attention to the latest developments in the region, developing potential countermeasures in order to beef up security in this part of the world.