Prague wants visa-free relations with Australia, Canada, US

The Czech Republic will push for visa-free relations for tourists to Australia, Canada and the United States, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday.

Ivan Jancarek, head of the foreign ministry's European Union section, told Czech news wire CTK the same visa-free relations should apply as in other EU member states after that the Czechs joined the European Union on May 1.

The European Commission has suggested removing the solidarity clause, which allows EU members to increase pressure on non-members to harmonise their visa regimes with all EU countries.

The Czech Republic wanted to use the solidarity clause to have the visa requirements removed.

However the Commission believes that following enlargement the clause could lead to visa relations for the three countries being established in all 25 EU member countries.

Citizens of several new member countries which joined the EU May 1, including the Czech Republic, need a visa to visit the United States, while citizens of Austria, or new member Slovenia, for example, do not.

While citizens of Australia, Canada and the United States do not need a visa to visit the Czech Republic, Czechs need visas to visit these countries.

"We want reciprocal treatment," Jancarek said.

Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda is expected to bring up the topic of visas during his trip to the United States which begins on Monday.