The European Commission recommended Tuesday to the European Council the opening of negotiations with the United States on the conditions for the updating of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This became clear from an official press release of the EC.

"It is our objective to ensure that all EU citizens can travel visa-free to the U.S. We should make sure that Europe shows political and legal solidarity. The recommendation provides ... for proper EC negotiations with the U.S. on matters arising from our common visa policy", reads the statement of the EC Vice-President and Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security Franco Frattini, quoted by the EC press service.

Twelve of the EU member states, including 11 of the "new members" that joined in 2004 and 2007, and Greece, are excluded from the US VWP. As the US moves to include more of these countries in it, the EU is torn by disagreements with respect to the common approach in negotiating the visa agreements.

Despite protests from the European Commission, Estonia signed Wednesday the bilateral visa deal with the United States, balticbusinessnews.com reported. Latvia is expected to follow suit later the same day.

The EC is trying increasingly to press for a common policy on the US VWP in order to become the only negotiator to secure an overall agreement granting visa-free travel to the US for all 27 EU states.

The USA and some of the Eastern European states in question have already proceeded with bilateral agreements that America negotiates individually with each of them.

According to the Estonian Interior Minister Jyri Pihl, the individual bilateral agreements with the United States were the proper way to achieve step-by-step visa-free travel for all of the EU.

After signing the agreements with Estonia and Latvia, the US Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff is going to meet with EU Justice Commissioner Frattini to discuss the VWP issue.

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