A milestone indeed...

Stumbling blocks are there to be removed. That is why, for many years, it has been one of our high-priority political objectives to remove the visa regime that acted as a barrier for those Maltese citizens wishing to travel to the United States. Such quest was driven by a strong popular demand in Malta to form part of the Visa Waiver Programme, particularly in view of the fact that the US has always been a popular destination for Maltese citizens, be it for business commitments, emigration purposes or as an enriching holiday destination.

Malta's entry into the Visa Waiver Programme late last year was the culmination of a complex process that could only be built on trust between Malta and the US. It is an achievement that should not be underestimated or diminished, particularly in the post-9/11 world, when trust was truly shaken.

The Visa Waiver Programme allows the thousands of Maltese travelling annually to the US and staying less than 90 days to do without the process of applying, paying and waiting for a visa. Instead, all that needs to be done to seek authorisation to enter in the US is to fill in a simple form (which is available online) by inputting basic details, to which a reply is received almost immediately.

I dare say that the removal of the visa requirement for Maltese citizens has always been considered to be the most natural and obvious conclusion that could be reached, especially considering the very good relationship that has always existed between Malta and the US.

At this stage, I feel that I should thank the outgoing US Ambassador, Molly Bordonaro whose sterling work in these past years has guaranteed that such good relationship reaches new heights. Indeed, kindly allow me to declare that, during her term of office, quite a number of milestones were achieved, among which it would also not be amiss to mention the establishment of a permanent Refugee Resettlement Programme of Irregular Migrants to the US, which is also of direct relevance to my ministry and an effective mechanism to reduce the burden which illegal immigration puts upon us.

When I represented the Maltese government in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Visa Waiver Programme in April of last year I was confident that it was only a matter of time before the whole process could be finalised. Indeed, the MoU, which Ambassador Bordonaro and I signed at the Auberge d'Aragon, surely can be considered as the step that paved the way for completing the process. After this, additional agreements were signed at a technical level and continuous exchanges of queries and information took place between both sides. The evaluation process came to an end in September of last year when officials from the US Department of Homeland Security visited Malta. The rest is now history.

At this point I cannot but take note and give due credit to the commendable efforts that were undertaken by officials from both the Maltese and US end in ensuring that Malta remained on track for achieving such a goal.

Indeed, considering that Malta managed to catch up with the other seven countries that were accepted in the programme merely a month before and leapfrog others, which have been in contention for quite a number of years, is truly a great achievement.

This is a milestone that is in great part the merit of the indefatigable drive and energy of Ms Bordonaro. Indeed, it will be a hard act to follow for whoever is appointed to fill her boots.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici is Minister for Justice and Home Affairs.