More than 500 members of the European Parliament voted for visa liberalization for Ukraine during a session in Strasbourg on April 6, the latest stage in granting Ukrainians the ability to visit most EU countries without having to apply for visas.
Only a few more formalities remain. The decision is yet to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers and then published in EU’s Official Journal. The visa exemption will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU Official Journal.
The EU and Ukraine are strategic partners for a safer, more stable and more prosperous Eastern Neighborhood, EU parliament rapporteur Mariya Gabriel said in an official press release on April 5.
“Adopting the visa waiver for Ukrainian citizens is an important step forward to strengthening EU-Ukraine relations by bringing peoples together and building bridges beyond borders”, she added.
The European Parliament press service reported on April 6 the legislation, approved by 521 votes to 75 with 36 abstentions is likely to enter into force in June.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko reacts to the European Parliament’s vote for visa-free travel for Ukraine during the security conference in Kyiv on April 6. (Courtesy)
On April 5 EU lawmakers had a tense debate on the Ukrainian issue. But in the evening, the EU Parliament press service reported that most parliamentarians supported the decision to enable Ukrainians with biometric passports to travel to European Union countries visa-free. This decision will only give Ukrainians the right to visit Schengen Zone countries for a period of 90 days every 180 days.
“The European Parliament continues to support Ukraine and has consistently shown solidarity by condemning Russia’s military involvement and illegal annexation of Crimea and promoting political and economic reforms,” reads the press service statement.
In February, during a trialogue meeting in Brussels, European Parliament and European Council negotiators agreed to cancel EU visa requirements for Ukrainians. But before that, the EU Council approved changes that strengthened the visa suspension mechanism.
In March Ukraine successfully passed through the next stage on its way to visa-free travel, as 39 EU Civil Liberties Committee MEPs backed the deal with the EU council on a Ukraine visa waiver.
“Visa-free travel is not a gift to Ukrainians, but the result of the Ukrainians’ fight against corruption, and reforms in a time of war,” Michal Boni, a Polish lawmaker in the European Parliament, said after the debates on April 5.
However, the European Pravda news website reported that not all MEPs were happy to grant visa-free travel toUkrainians.
Members of far-right parties from a number of countries, many of whom are openly pro-Russian, such as France’s National Front, called on their colleagues not to support visa-free entry to the EU for Ukrainians.
