European Institute

Immigrants who have become naturalized Americans in recent decades are numerous enough – and now organized enough! -- to be a potential political factor in American voting, including in next week’s Congressional election.  As always these days, immigration itself will be an issue and in the U.S. the “immigrant vote” could matter as recent immigrants chose sides in light of their own experience.  In some hard-fought Congressional constituencies, the outcome might turn on the votes of New Americans – immigrants or immigrants’ children who have become politically conscious during the recent decades when massive and sometimes disruptive immigration has become a high-profile issue.

Signs are that the weeks-long struggle over a new law to raise the retirement age in France is ending on the terms set by the French government and President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The EU’s drive to get all 27 member states included on the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) has run up against a wall. The view of multiple sources closely monitoring the dossier is that the US Congress will have to pass new legislation before Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Romania will have any chance of joining the other EU23. Though some on Capitol Hill are sympathetic to their cause, nothing is likely to happen until 2011 at the earliest. Even if Congress changes the rules to make it easier for the EU4 to enter, they still need to be invited to join by the US administration and there is little indication that the Obama administration is interested in expanding the programme.

The European External Action Service took another step forward today by naming the people who will occupy the two top posts in the service representing the EU around the world: Pierre Vimont, currently French ambassador to Washington, will be the Executive Secretary General heading policy formulation and David O’Sullivan, a top Irish civil servant who has held key positions at the European Commission, will be the Chief Operating Officer managing the new service.