Brussels, 12/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - The US Secretary of State for homeland security, Janet Napolitano, confirmed on Friday 9 April that the Obama administration aimed to impose a tax on Europeans whose countries figure on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). All nationals benefiting from the VWP - 23 out of 27 member states - who want to go to the US must request prior authorisation on the ESTA system (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation” (EUROPE n° 10058). At the end of the ministerial EU/US meeting in Madrid, Ms Napolitano said that she understood the concerns of the European Union regarding ESTA and the tax connected to it. She added that in conformity with the law she had the responsibility for implementing this tax over the following six months. She pointed out that she was still examining the matter and working out how to implement this tax. She explained that she would keep the Europeans completely informed about future developments. The European Union has on many occasions criticised the introduction of this tax because they believed that it put barriers on fee movement in the form of disguised visas. The EU has even threatened to reintroduce visas for Americans if this tax is introduced. During their meeting in Madrid, the two sides reaffirmed their determination to soon negotiate the agreements on the transfer of banking documents in the fight against terrorism (Swift agreement), as well as on data protection (EUROPE n° 10115).