EU Threatens Legal Action Against Czech Republic

The Czech Republic recently signed a bilateral agreement with the US that would ease the Visa waiver for Czechs and to bolster air security. The EU is angry the Czech went behind the Eurocrats backs and is now threatening legal action against the country. But the Czechs argued that the EU wasn't doing enough to help ease the visa waiver for it's citizens.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it reserved the right to take legal action over the Czech Republic's move to break ranks with EU partners and sign a bilateral air security and visa pact with the United States.

"The Commission obviously reserves its right to take appropriate action," a spokesman for the EU executive said of a memorandum of understanding signed by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Tuesday during a visit to the United States.

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Under Tuesday's deal, the Czech Republic will strengthen cooperation with the United States on air security and information on travelers, and in return Washington will make it easier for Prague to access its visa free system.

The deal has split the bloc, as it touches on the EU's competence over visa and border policies. The EU executive had urged governments not to sign individual pacts, so that talks with Washington would continue to take place at EU level.

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But ambassadors from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia said in a meeting on Wednesday that the bloc had not done enough to help them get into the U.S. visa waiver program and that made bilateral deals useful, one diplomat said, saying that more such deals could come up.

"They said the EU pressure on Washington on the visa waiver program has been weak, and they see an opportunity there," the diplomat said.