Malta may be in US visa waiver programme by end of year

Malta may be joining the US visa waiver programme (VWP) by the end of this year following the introduction of biometric passports, expected in October.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in Malta told The Times that "excellent progress" in talks has been made and the Secretary of Homeland Security has expressed hope that several EU countries would be able to join the programme by the end of this year.

This programme was initiated over 20 years ago and last expanded in 1999. After President George Bush announced his intention to expand the programme in 2006, the US government has been working with several countries, many of them in the EU, to bring them into the programme.

A memorandum of understanding for Malta's participation in the programme was signed between the US and the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry on April 11. Since then, the government and embassy officials have been working to ensure Malta's compliance with the various criteria for VWP. These include a number of security and documentary factors, including biometric passports as a requirement.

"Significant progress has been made, and we continue to work towards our shared goal of having Malta enter the VWP once the programme is expanded to include new countries," the spokesman said.

Asked whether an agreement with Malta was dependent on an agreement with the EU, the spokesman said that the US and EU had adopted a "twin track" approach to VWP negotiations - the European Commission negotiates directly with the US on matters of EU responsibility and individual member states negotiate those issues under their responsibility on a bilateral basis.