Passport to the West

For George Bush even to mention abolishing visas for new EU members was a success, but it's only the first step. It won't be easy to convince Congress to accept Bush's vision of shifting emphasis away from visa-rejection rates and toward biometrics. Bush's plan is good news for the CR on the one hand, because its new passports are state-of-the-art. On the other hand, Bush's initiative lumps the CR in with countries with deficiencies in issuing passports. Biometrics can help assure "passport integrity," but some countries have an even more fundamental problem: Corrupt bureaucrats are issuing valid EU passports to non-EU citizens engaged in international crime. The CR suddenly finds itself in a dual position. Not only must it convince Congress to change the visa-waiver rules, but it must also convince its fellow EU states to crack down on fraud in the issuance of their passports. [Czech Republic European Union travel documents]