U.S. delays final agreement over visa-free travel for Hungarians

The signing of the final agreement required before the visa restriction can be lifted for Hungarian citizens traveling to the United States will be delayed because U.S. agencies still need time to finalize details of the contents of the deal on criminal data exchange, U.S. Ambassador to Budapest April H Foley said on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice are still discussing the contents of the agreement and what each would like to see included, Ms Foley said, without going into the details of the agreement.

However, Ms Foley did say that sensitive personal data in the agreement on the exchange of criminal files, such as sexual preference or whether a suspect belonged to a trade union, would not be required.

Ms Foley added that when the content of the final agreement is worked out it will relate only to the exchange of information between the respective countries' law enforcement agencies if a suspect is thought or known to have committed a serious crime.

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