Connect with us

Economy

European Parliament approves #Ukraine visa waiver

SHARE:

Published

9 years ago

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Ukrainian citizens will be exempted from EU short-stay visa requirements, after Parliament endorsed an informal deal with the Council on Thursday. Under the new law, Ukrainians who hold a biometric passport will be able to enter the EU without a visa for 90 days in any 180-day period.

The visa will cover visits for tourism, to visit relatives or friends, or for business purposes, but not to work. The exemption applies to all EU countries, except Ireland and the UK, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

“Ukraine has achieved all the benchmarks, so the visa requirement should be lifted”, noted rapporteur for the proposal Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG), adding that the visa waiver will be “another very strong message that Ukraine is a key partner for the European Union in the Eastern Partnership”.

The legislation, approved by 521 votes to 75 with 36 abstentions, still needs to be formally adopted by the Council of Ministers. It is likely to enter into force in June, 20 days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.

Before exempting Ukrainians from visa requirements, the EU strengthened the visa waiver suspension mechanism, to allow visas to be reintroduced more easily in exceptional cases.

S&D vice-president Tanja Fajon said: “The S&D Group has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and the visa-free travel of its citizens to the EU. We welcome this resolution, which makes clear Parliament’s support for visa-free travel for 45 million Ukrainian citizens. This will make life easier for the thousands of Ukrainians who visit EU countries every year and is recognition of Ukraine’s recent reform efforts.”

Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann MEP, S&D spokesperson for the report, added: “Ukrainian citizens need to feel that the situation in their country is changing for the better. This step shows that reforms lead to tangible results that improve citizens’ lives. The Ukrainian government should continue its reform efforts and make additional efforts to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law in the country.

“Of course we need safeguards to ensure the visa liberalisation is not abused and has its limitations. It is only applicable to holders of biometric passports issued by Ukraine and only gives citizens a right to travel, not to work. However this is another important step bringing Ukraine closer to European norms.”

Share this article:

Share this:
Related Topics:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Advertisement

Trending