Hungary to sign US visa waiver deal: report

(BUDAPEST) - Hungary has become the latest former Soviet-bloc EU member to sign a deal to secure its citizens visa-free travel to the United States, the MTI news agency reported Friday.

"The protocol agreement will be signed on Monday in Washington," Interior Minister Tibor Draskovics said.

"Hungarians can start going to the United States without a visa from autumn," he said.

The United States has already signed visa waiver deals with Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania and Slovakia are also due to sign their agreements on Monday.

The current rush of deal-making follows an initial agreement by the Czech Republic last month after Prague, apparently tired of the slow pace of negotiations led by the commission, the EU's executive branch, forged a pact.

The bilateral deal-making has caused consternation in Brussels, where the commission traditionally negotiates on behalf of the entire European Union membership.

Last week, ambassadors for the 27 member countries agreed to adopt a common position on red-line issues where individual governments would not cede to specific American demands.

It was not clear what Hungarian concessions had been made in their talks, although the minister added that his parliament still had to ratify the deal.

The visa waiver had previously been enjoyed by the existing 15 EU member states, with citizens from Greece and 11 of the 12 newest states -- Slovenia being the exception -- obliged to secure visas, even for a short stay, when they arrive on US soil.