The United States signed agreements with Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia to remove any visa requirements for citizens of these countries wishing to travel to the US. According to an official press release of the American secretary on internal security, Michael Chertoff the three countries have accepted to improve their border security.

The Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia recently signed similar agreement protocols with Washington to obtain visa waivers. Citizens of other 12 European states, including Romania, will still have to obtain visas in order to travel in the US. The main reason invoked by American officials is the risk of illegal immigration.

The American administration plans to negotiate with each EU member state the agreements on visa waiving while Brussels authorities proposed that US should negotiate globally with the EU bloc.