Interior Minister attacks lack of EU support over Canada visas

Minister of the Interior Martin Pecina has complained about insufficient European support in the country’s quarrel with Canada over the re-imposition of visas on Czechs. Mr. Pecina said on Thursday that he had called for solidarity from other EU members but had been disappointed by many of them and by the insufficiently strong stand of the executive European Commission. He was speaking at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels. Canada reintroduced visa requirements on Czechs in July 2009, citing the large numbers of asylum seekers. Prague has been seeking strong EU support to get the step reversed. The European Commission recommended in October that states introduce visas on Canadian diplomats unless it altered its position.