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Dutko Global Advisors Recognized for their Work on Visa Waiver Modernization : 04-08-2008
FRONT PAGE “CAPITAL,” April 9, 2008
Romania may get rid of US visas in 2010
Officially, the main condition is the decrease of visa requests denial rate.
If the authorities from Bucharest will do their homework, the Romanians may get rid of visas for America in 2 years. In order for this to happen, the denial rate of visa requests must drop from 37.7 % to 10 %.
More than a third of the visa requests submitted by the Romanian citizens are denied by the consular officers of the US Embassy in Bucharest. The reasons are never communicated to the applicants but it appears that some of them simply fill in wrongly the forms or, due to lack of information, do not bring to the interview all documents or evidences that might convince those behind the booth that they have no reasons to remain in the US for good.
Similar problems were reported also in other central and east-European countries. Hungary and Latvia, for examples, have organized public information campaigns regarding the modality of obtaining US visas, activities of which results could be noticed on short term. In only 2 years, the visa requests denial rate dropped with about 50%.
Until today, Bucharest’s efforts in this regard focused on the external front. “During 2007, Romania, together with other 6 Central – European and UE member countries (Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) concluded legislative consultancy contract with the US company Dutko Worldwide. The goal of the contract was to create a highly visible profile of the Visa waiver topic in the within the US Congress, in order to generate a favorable decision to the program extension: declared Ilie Banica, Spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bucharest. He says that Dutko Worldwide has been hired for 6 months and the contract was over beginning September 2007. the fee paid by the Romanian side reached $ 30, 513 “the amount being identical for all seven countries that participated to this endeavor.”
Regarding the timeline envisaged by the Americans for giving up the visa system, Ilie Banica indicates that this depends upon the specifics of each country. In his view “The timeframe will be influenced as well by the way in which, at EU level, the member states and the European commission will decide on how to approach the dialogue with the united states on this subjects matter.”
Nadia Crisan, managing director McGuireWoods Consulting Romania, ex-first secretary at the Romania’s Embassy in Washington thinks that if a sharp declining pace of the visa denial rate will be noticeable then “realistically, in 2010, we will also be included in the Visa Waiver Program.”
THIRD PAGE “CAPITAL,” April 9, 2008
Romania, champion of the US visa denials
Objective: We may get rid of the US visas in 2010. The decision depends on Washington but also on the way in which the Romanians will learn on how to present themselves at the US Embassy and how to fill in correctly the forms.
“It is difficult for the Romanians to understand why some are treated in a way and others in a different way when it comes about visas. We will work with the Romanian Government on certain aspects in order to see why the visa denial rate is so high (37, 7 %, the highest among the EU member states), stated last week, during his visit to Victoria palace, the American president George W. Bush.
Till recently, in order for a country to be included in Visa waiver program (of which aim is to eliminate the requirement of US visa for foreign citizens), two conditions had to be met: the existence of biometric passports and a visa denial rate of under 3%. In August 2007 the threshold was raised to 10%. This decision represented a success for the Coalition for Visas Fairness, set-up in the fall of 2006 by Romania, Czech republic, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Hungary and Lithuania and, most probably, also for the lobby firm hired by the 7 states. Dutko Worldwide, led by sally painter, an ex-representative of the Department of Commerce during Clinton’s Administration, has signed a $ 210,000 contract for organizing a campaign aiming to eliminate visa requirement. Till today, three members of the Coalition (Czech Republic, Latvia and Hungary) plus Estonia have concluded individual agreements for eliminating the visas and Lithuania and Slovakia have also good chances to be soon included in the Visa Waiver.
“In the case of Romania, the efforts commenced in 2006, by setting-up the Support and Friendship Group for Romania within the Chamber of Representatives of the US Congress and also by actions of all Honorary Counsels of Romania. Regarding the biometric passports, the Romanian state has moved more swiftly compared to other countries already included in this program. The problem lies with the numerous denials (of visas), many of them being caused by errors related to forms filling “mentions Nadia Crisan, Managing Director McGuireWoods Consulting Romania, ex-first secretary of Romania’s Embassy in Washington. She believes that the signals sent by the American administration during the meetings between the president George W. Bush and Traian Basescu, respectively Calin Popescu Tariceanu are positive and that, in the coming period, it is important to notice a gradual decline of the visa denial rate. Only in these circumstances we can talk about being included in the Visa Waiver Program, the most realistically, probably in 2010.”
A public information campaign might do miracles
The US Embassy in Bucharest refrains from any comments or advices, mentioning only that “The US Government cooperates with the Romanian Government in this respect. Romania’s embassy in Washington works, in the same line, together with the counterpart agencies within the US Government and US Congress.”
However, we might learn from the experience of countries sharing a similar situation.
Latvia ( Hungary as well ), for example, was able to diminish the visa denial rate with about 50% in two years, following a public information campaign initiated by the Latvian foreign Affairs Ministry in cooperation with the US Embassy in Riga.
Bogdan Chireac, foreign affairs analyst, declared for “Capital” that the main reason for which Washington refuses to include our country in Visa waiver program, that is the high rate of visa denials, does not stand for real. “ Till not long ago the Romanian citizens from Germany and Austria ranked first in criminality ranking because the majority of them worked there illegally. From the time when the restrictions were removed and the visas were no longer required, the situation has changed. Probably, the same thing is happening also with the visas for the US,” he continues.
“So far, the authorities from Bucharest never really put on the table with the US Administration the issue of visa lifting for the Romanian citizens. As long as we need visas we cannot call ourselves a true partner of the US. This is the real relationship between Romania and US, beyond statements and thanks gestures because we send troops in Afghanistan, without really putting any condition,” concludes Bogdan Chireac.
Fragile partnership
In 2007, Romania exported in the US goods of which value reached 593 million euros ( 2% from the total of exports , US ranking 12 in top export destinations ) and imported of 688 million euros ( which represents 1.3% out of total of imports, US ranking 17 in top import countries ).
Between 1990 and December 31, 2007 the Americans invested, as companies’ in-kind contributions, 672 millions euros in Romania (3.8 % from the total investment brought by legal entities or individuals) US ranking 7th in top foreign investors.
Visas granted scarcely
Approximately 39,000 Romanians were granted visas for the US last year. This number is lower than the 2006 figure when were granted 41,300 visas and almost identical with the 2005 figure. About 65 % were visas for tourism and business, 16% for ‘exchange visitors “, 12% for transit and approximately 10% for temporary work. The visa denial rate was 37.7 % in 2007 (the highest within the EU). Last year 2,100 Romanians emigrated in the US compared to 2,750 in 2006 and 3,106 in 2005.
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