BRUSSELS, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Plans by the United States to charge travellers a $14 fee for its visa waiver programme are regrettable and inconsistent with a U.S. commitment to ease transatlantic travel, the European Union said on Friday, August 6.
The levy will be required from Sept. 8, when an interim U.S. rule covering the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) becomes effective, the European Commission said.
"I regret very much the fee established by the interim rule," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a statement, saying she had repeatedly raised concerns about the introduction of a fee that may deter or complicate travel.
"I remain convinced that these new requirements … are inconsistent with the commitment of the U.S. to facilitate transatlantic mobility and will be an additional onus for European citizens travelling to the U.S.," she said.
The ESTA system requires travellers to complete an online application form, answering questions they previously had to respond to on paper forms aboard flights or ships bound for the United States.
The questions include whether a passenger has a communicable disease, a physical or mental disorder, abuses drugs, has been convicted of certain criminal offences, or been involved in espionage, terrorism or genocide.
When the EU first studied the introduction of ESTA in December 2008, it did not believe the system was tantamount to a visa application process, which can incur a fee. The Commission said it now would carry out a definitive assessment of the ESTA, once U.S. authorities published the final rules. It stressed that the fee requirement would be a factor in the assessment.
