EU unity at stake over US visa-regime issue, Brussels warns - by Renata Goldirova
The European Commission is stepping up pressure on those EU governments eager to sign up to a Washington-sponsored set of air security measures in exchange for visa-free travel to the US by saying "no member state will be allowed to violate EU legislation."
"We will be negotiating with the United States," EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini said on Monday (10 March), adding: "It is simply not possible to abandon, to renounce our EU legislation and our common criteria." "We should not allow ourselves be divided," Mr Frattini said, adding: "I do not question the right of EU member states to engage in bilateral negotiations on issues that are national prerogative." But he noted that the commission believes: "what the US is asking raises serious legal and political questions." A similar message came from some quarters in the European Parliament. "We should not fall for the US divide and rule tactics ... and the US should act as a loyal and reliable ally and respect EU law," said Dutch liberal Sophia in't Veld. Note EU-Digest: Again the EU is experiencing problems coming from members out of the former Eastern Communist bloc countries. Its time to do something about this. These members must be made to understand very clearly that EU membership is a two way street and that loyalty to the common good of all the EU members stands above supporting US interests. If once again the majority of EU accepts these kinds of bilateral actions by a minority of its members, they will only become bolder in their actions. Worst of all it will harm the effectiveness of the EU to operate as a cohesive unit on the international scene.
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