If the United States fails to show progress in relaxing visa requirements for residents of Latvia and nine other European Union members, the European Commission might take measures to force the issue, Deutsche Welle reports, citing an unnamed EU official.

“The official, speaking ahead of the EU-U.S. summit in Vienna on Wednesday, said the commission could insist that American diplomats and military personnel be obliged to have visas to travel in the EU, or demand economic and trade sanctions,” the German broadcaster reported June 22.

Another alternative, which might be hard to sell to EU members, would be to require visas for all U.S. citizens traveling to member states.

Latvia has been trying for several years to convince U.S. officials to waive visa requirements. Latvian citizens wanting to travel to the United States must apply for a visa and pay a LVL 57 fee. However, U.S. citizens may enter Latvia without a visa.

An amendment to the U.S. Senate’s version of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (S. 2611), passed May 25, offered visa waivers for European Union countries that provide at least a battalion’s worth of military support to Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. The amendment described a battalion as 300 to 1,000 troops, effectively shutting out Latvia.

However, the immigration reform bill is stalled in the House of Representative and appears unlikely to be finalized this year, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is expected in July to release a report about progress on the visa waiver issue, Deutsche Welle said.

Besides Latvia, other EU members that don’t have visa-free travel agreements with the United States are Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovakia.

Pauls Toutonghi, an American author of Latvian and Egyptian descent, is touring the United States to promote is his debut novel, Red Weather.

He also will donate 5 percent of the royalties received from the book to the Kids First Fund, a Milwaukee-based charity that helps abandoned and abused children in Latvia.

The book tells the story of a Latvian family trying to integrate into life in Milwaukee in 1989. The story is told through the eyes of 15-year-old Yuri Balodis.

“But when Yuri falls in love with Hannah Graham—the daring and dangerous daughter of a prominent Milwaukee socialist—chaos ensues,” according to a description of the novel on Toutonghi’s Web site. “Within weeks he has joined the staff of the Socialist Worker, and his ideological betrayal will have more serious consequences than breaking his parents’ hearts.”

Toutonghi holds a master’s degree in poetry and a doctorate in English literature from Cornell University. He won a Pushcart Prize in 2000 for his short story “Regeneration,” published in The Boston Review.

The author will read from his work:

• June 12 at 7 p.m. in Barnes and Noble, 675 6th Ave., New York. He will be introduced by Solveiga Silkalna, Latvia’s ambassador to the United Nations.
• June 16 at 7 p.m. in Pianos Restaurant and Bar, 158 Ludlow St., New York.
• June 26 at 7 p.m. in the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, 2262 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Bay View, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis. He will be introduced by Jay Sorensen of the Kids First Fund.
• June 27 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Bookslut Reading Series in The Hopleaf, 5148 North Clark, Chicago. He will be introduced by Sorensen.
• July 8 in the Ilsley Library, 75 Main St., Middlebury, Vt. The time is to be announced.

For further information on the author, visit www.paulstoutonghi.com.