Story tools

Print this article

Email to a friend

Your feedback

MEPs, told EU leaders unequivocally to stop being "paper tigers", in the new transatlantic row about new fees for EU citizens to visit the US as well as sharing private data.

The European Parliament sees the new $14 (€10) fee introduced by the US administration for EU citizens as a new form of visa.  The US has reciprocal visa waiver agreement with 23 out of the 27 member states of the European union. Further, the way credit card data is being used by the US authorities have irked the European Parliament as well.

The new fee was introduced earlier this month, which can only be paid online via credit card. The MEPs have urged the European Commission to take retaliatory measures against the new fee.

"We are so nice that we are making our citizens’ data available to the US and on top of that we have to pay a fee and those fees are going to be used to promote advertising for the US tourist industry," said German MEP Elmar Brok of the European People's Party.

“They’re getting the consumers to pay directly for advertising,” Mr Brok fumed. “It makes us look like paper tigers.”

According to the US, out of the $14, four would be used to maintain the Electronic Travel Authorisation System (ESTA) while the remaining $10 would be used to promote tourism to the US.  Harry Reid, the Majority leader in the US Senate pushed this measure through in return for his support on the health care bill passed earlier this year.

"Maybe the US is developing a new business model here: to have consumers pay for the advertising given to them. This is unbelievable," continued Mr. Brok, who chairs the EU-US relationship committee in the European Parliament.

Other MEPs are concerned about the privacy aspect of the data, even though US authorities have tried to calm European nerves.

The Department of Homeland Security may give this data away to other authorities, even businesses that deal with travel. This is unacceptable from a privacy point of view," Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said.

A US Homeland Security official has said that the credit card data would not be used for any other purposes, however the data would be retained for one year - a period most MEPs find unacceptable.

"We are examining all possibilities, including an EU Esta system. A feasibility study is being worked on now and could be introduced in the future, if member states agree," said commissioner Maros Sefcovic.  The Commission is hoping that this programme would be scrapped as it is "discriminatory" and does not fit with the stated goals of the US administration in fostering relationship with the European union.

The Commissioner has pledged to bring this issue up in the next meeting of EU and US home affairs ministers this December.