Re: Libéralisation du régime des visas européens pour l'Ukraine

[Matt]

Au grand désespoir des russes. 
Yesssssssssssssssss

[richard]

Bsr alors c est pour demain la grande nouvelle ????

[benoit77]

Bsr alors c est pour demain la grande nouvelle ????

Non :

l'UE veux un mécanisme d'arrêt d'urgence des "régimes sans visa".

http://news.liga.net/news/world/10835936-v_evrosoyuze_odobrili_mekhanizm_priostanovleniya_bezvizovogo_rezhima.htm
http://news.liga.net/news/politics/10835952-glava_mvd_frantsii_bezvizovyy_rezhim_dlya_ukrainy_neaktualen.htm

[Александр]

Aftermath of phone conversation with President of European Parliament: European Parliament to accelerate consideration of visa-free regime introduction for Ukraine



President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation with President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.

The President of the European Parliament congratulated the Ukrainian President and the people of Ukraine on the liberation of Nadiya Savchenko.

“It is a great news for all friends of Ukraine who have been struggling for her liberation from Russian captivity for two years. It is a victory of the President and the people of Ukraine,” Martin Schulz stressed.

Petro Poroshenko is hopeful that the European Parliament will provide further support in the liberation of all Ukrainian citizens illegally retained in Russia and continuation of pressure on the Russian side for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Martin Schulz expressed concern over the security situation in Donbas and condemned the increasing number of shelling of Ukrainian positions by pro-Russian militants. He is confident that sanctions against Russia cannot be abolished or decreased in such conditions.

The President of the European Parliament reiterated consistent support for Ukraine in the issue of the visa-free regime. “The European Parliament will start considering the legislative proposal of the European Commission on the liberalization of the visa regime with Ukraine tomorrow. We will do our best to complete the process as soon as possible,” Martin Schulz noted.

The President urged the EU to consider that issue justly.

The Head of State informed on the progress of Ukraine in the implementation of reforms. In his turn, the President of the European Parliament praised the reformist efforts of the Ukrainian President and assured of unwavering and comprehensive support for Ukraine.

The parties agreed to continue coordination of actions on topical issues of the Ukraine-EU interaction in the framework of the high-level political consultations that will take place on June 27 in Brussels.

[richard]

Merci c est intéressant et sympa de nous tenir informés

[Thuramir]

Aftermath of phone conversation with President of European Parliament: European Parliament to accelerate consideration of visa-free regime introduction for Ukraine

C'est typique des discussions politiques avec l'UE : blablabla, blabla, blablabla... L'euroscepticisme est abondamment nourri par les propres dirigeants de l'UE.  

[Александр]

Coup de frein:

Reuters: EU puts brake on visa liberalization for now amid immigration fears

After holding off visa free regime for Georgia, Ukraine, Tukey, and Kosovo on waiting list µ
       

European Union states held off agreeing to ease travel rules for Georgia on Wednesday, and Turkey, Ukraine and Kosovo should also expect more delays in visa waiving as the bloc turns more cautious amid immigration fears, EU delegation sources said.

The EU is already making it easier to suspend visa-free travel before it grants such right to more states, most notably Turkey, whose help it needs to control immigration after some 1.3 million people reached Europe last year.

While Brussels says Turkey, with a population of 79 million, is making progress on 72 criteria to win the EU visa waiver, Ankara is seen missing an end-June deadline.

Read also Telegraph: Turkey visa deal will increase risk of terrorist attacks, EU report reveals

EU envoys in Brussels discussed a similar deal for Georgia again on Wednesday but there was no decision, with Germany and France among countries opposed, diplomats said.

"We don't want to stop the whole process. We just want to be more cautious," said a diplomat from one EU state that on Wednesday opposed granting visa-free travel to Georgia.

They may return to the issue next week, before holding their first discussion on the more controversial case of Ukraine. More technical-level meetings on Ukraine are due only on June 14.

After an acceleration several weeks ago, tied to the EU deal with Ankara that sharply cut the number of people reaching Europe from the Turkish coast, talks have now run into trouble over Turkey's refusal to change its anti-terror laws.

Immigration is also a key theme in the June 23 referendum in Britain on whether to leave the EU, struggling after 1.3 million refugees and migrants reached it last year.

The weakening political momentum also complicates the matter politically for the other three countries, diplomats say, with time running out before the summer break. The European Parliament, where a majority is needed to enact such agreements, will hold its last session on July 4-7 and only resume mid-September.

While the lawmakers have started work on Ukraine and Georgia, the parliament's head said they would not open the Turkey file before Ankara met all the benchmarks. Some in the parliament, however, believe it will be a political call.

"Turkey is not a clean process because it's intimately tied to the migration deal," said a European Parliament official. "Visa liberalization is always a political reward, a carrot, it's not entirely clean when it comes to criteria."

POLITICS OF VISA WAIVING

That would not be the first time politics plays a role in what officials publicly insist is down to technical criteria.

Turkey has named visa-free access as the price for its help on migration. For Ukraine and Georgia, it is part of a geo-political tussle with Russia over ex-Soviet states with Western aspirations that Moscow still sees as its own backyard. Kosovo would be the last country to get the deal in the Western Balkans, a region still recovering from 1990s wars.

While controversy around visa-free travel for Turkey zeroes in on Ankara's record on human rights, the EU already has such deals in place with about 60 other states. They include United Arab Emirates or Brunei, where rights groups regularly document blatant violations of key freedoms.

Ukraine struggles with systemic corruption regardless of the fact that it met its anti-graft target by creating a new agency to fight it. Berlin is cautious on Tbilisi, attributing a big part of organized crime in Germany to Georgian gangs.

Read also 12 European countries call for visa liberalization with Ukraine

The independence of another candidate, Kosovo, is not even recognized by five EU states - Greece, Romania, Cyprus and Slovakia, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency in July.
The fifth one, Spain, does not honor travel documents issued by the 1.8-million Kosovo. That leaves, in the words of a Brussels official, a "legal ambiguity" - no one knows what would happen if a holder of such a passport tried to enter via Spain.

TO WAIVE, OR NOT TO WAIVE?

Struggling to control migration, the EU is wary of an influx of people from the four countries because of their proximity.

The visa waiver allows easier access - but not the right to work - for up to 90 days to Europe's free-travel Schengen area, which comprises most EU states and several non-EU ones.

About 2 million Kosovars, Georgians and Ukrainians hold the top-notch biometric passports that would make them eligible for visa-free travel, according to Brussels data. Turkey has issued no such documents so far.

That shows only a limited number of people would initially benefit. But those wary of visa liberalization say the EU cannot open up to 130 million people - roughly the combined population of the four states - as it faces migration and security risks.

EU ambassadors for Kosovo and Georgia - which will hold elections in October - are still hopeful. Facing great public expectations at home, they say the EU's credibility is at stake.

"This is what we were asked to do, here are the criteria and the roadmap. And if this is a technical process, this is what we were supposed to do," said Kosovo's Mimoza Ahmetaj. "Kosovo cannot threaten the whole Europe."

[Александр]

Les États membres profitent du Brexit pour retarder la libéralisation des visas


A plusieurs reprises, la Commission a conseillé aux États membres de renforcer les contrôles à leurs frontières extérieures.

Les États de l’UE n’ont pas pu s’accorder sur la libéralisation des visas pour la Géorgie. La Turquie, le Kosovo et l’Ukraine devraient aussi s’attendre à des retards étant donné que l’Union se montre plus prudente et frileuse, à cause de l’immigration.

Bruxelles nage entre deux eaux. Elle assure qu’Ankara progresse sur les 72 critères nécessaires à la libéralisation des visas turcs, alors que le pays risque de ne pas respecter le délai de juin. Or l’aide de la Turquie est indispensable pour contrôler l’immigration depuis qu’1,3 million de personnes ont atteint l’Europe l’année dernière.

>> Lire : La levée de visas pour les Turcs attendue en octobre

Des envoyés à Bruxelles ont de nouveau discuté d’un accord similaire avec la Géorgie le 1^er juin, mais aucune décision n’a été prise. Selon les diplomates, la France et l’Allemagne s’y sont notamment opposées.

« Nous ne voulons pas arrêter tout le processus. Nous voulons juste être prudents », a déclaré un diplomate d’un des pays de l’UE qui s’est opposé mercredi à la libéralisation des visas pour la Géorgie.
Les pays européens reviendront surement sur la question la semaine prochaine, avant d’avoir leur première discussion sur le cas plus controversé de l’Ukraine. Des réunions plus techniques sur l’Ukraine n’auront lieu que le 14 juin.

>> Lire : Les Ukrainiens bientôt exemptés de visa malgré le référendum néerlandais

Après une accélération il a plusieurs semaines, liée à l’accord passé entre l’UE et Ankara, qui a fait fortement diminué le nombre de personnes arrivant en Europe depuis les côtes turques, les négociations tournent désormais au vinaigre face au refus de la Turquie de changer ses lois en matière de lutte anti-terroriste.

L’immigration est aussi un thème clé du référendum du 23 juin sur l’appartenance du Royaume-Uni à l’UE, qui se plaint de l’arrivée d’1,3 million de réfugiés et migrants l’année dernière.

La faible dynamique politique complique aussi la question pour les trois autres pays, ont expliqué les diplomates, le temps étant compté jusqu’aux vacances d’été. Le Parlement européen, où une majorité est nécessaire pour promulguer de tels accords, organisera sa dernière séance plénière du 4 au 7 juillet et ne reprendra que mi-septembre.

Alors que les eurodéputés ont commencé à travailler sur le cas de l’Ukraine et de la Géorgie, le chef du Parlement a déclaré qu’ils n’ouvriraient pas le dossier turc avant qu’Ankara n’ait rempli tous les critères. Certains au Parlement estiment toutefois qu’il s’agit d’une question politique.

« Le cas de la Turquie n’est pas très net, car il est étroitement lié à l’accord sur l’immigration », a commenté un responsable du Parlement européen.

« La libéralisation des visas est toujours une récompense politique, une carotte. Les critères à remplir ne sont pas tout à fait clairs », ont-ils ajouté.

Politique de libéralisation des visas

Ce n’est pas la première fois que la politique joue un rôle dans le débat normalement très technique des exemptions de visas.

La libéralisation des visas était la condition sine qua non de la Turquie en échange de son aide en matière d’immigration. Pour l’Ukraine et la Géorgie, elle fait partie d’une lutte géopolitique avec la Russie qui considère toujours les ex-républiques soviétiques comme son arrière-cour, alors que ces dernières se tournent vers l’Occident.

Alors que la controverse autour de la libéralisation des visas turcs se concentre sur la situation d’Ankara en matière de droits de l’homme, l’UE a déjà mis en place de tels accords avec 60 autres pays, dont les Émirats arabes unis et le Brunei, où les libertés fondamentales sont régulièrement bafouées.

L’Ukraine fait face à une corruption systémique et Berlin s’inquiète de Tbilissi, puisqu’elle attribue une grande partie du crime organisé en Allemagne à des gangs géorgiens.

L’indépendance d’un autre candidat, le Kosovo, n’est même pas reconnue par cinq des États membres – Grèce, Roumanie, Chypre, Slovaquie, qui assurera la présidence tournante de l’UE à partir de juillet. Le pays est le dernier État des Balkans à attendre l’exemption de visas et est encore en train de se relever des guerres des années 1990.

Le cinquième, l’Espagne, ne reconnaît pas les documents officiels délivrés par le Kosovo à ses 1,8 million d’habitants. Selon un responsable européen, cela crée une « ambigüité juridique » – personne ne sait ce qu’il se passerait si le détenteur d’un tel passeport essaye d’entrer en Espagne.

Libéraliser ou non ?

L’UE s’efforce de contrôler l’immigration, et se méfie d’un afflux de personnes de ces quatre pays à cause de leur proximité.

La libéralisation des visas permet un accès facilité – mais pas le droit de travailler – d’une durée allant jusqu’à 90 jours dans l’espace Schengen, qui comprend la plupart des États membres de l’UE, mais aussi plusieurs pays non membres.

Environ deux millions de Kosovars, Géorgiens et Ukrainiens détiennent le passeport biométrique dernier cri qui leur permettra d’être éligibles à l’exemption de visa, selon les données de Bruxelles. Pour l’instant la Turquie n’a pas ce type de document.

Ainsi, seul un nombre limité de personnes pourra profiter de la libéralisation au début. Mais ceux qui s’y opposent affirment que l’UE ne peut pas ouvrir ses portes à 130 millions de personnes – chiffre qui correspond à la population totale des quatre pays – alors qu’elle affronte actuellement des risques sécuritaires et migratoires.

Les ambassadeurs européens auprès du Kosovo et de la Géorgie – où auront lieu des élections en octobre – ont toujours bon espoir. Selon eux, les populations ont de grandes attentes, et la crédibilité de l’UE est en jeu.

« On nous a demandé de suivre une feuille de route et de faire respecter des critères. Il s’agit d’un processus technique », a déclaré Mimoza Ahmetaj. « Le Kosovo ne peut pas être une menace pour toute l’Europe. »

Contexte

La Commission européenne a proposé de lever l’obligation de visa pour les citoyens ukrainiens, géorgiens, kosovars et turcs voyageant vers l’UE. Les États membres doivent à présent confirmer cette décision.

En ce qui concerne la Turquie, les parlements nationaux pourraient cependant avoir leur mot à dire, a souligné un fonctionnaire européen.

Le Parlement européen suit de près la situation. Les eurodéputés ont déjà déclaré que la Turquie devait remplir toutes les conditions prévues avant que la libéralisation des visas ait lieu.

[Caduce62]

Je me disais que c'était trop beau pour être vrai 

[richard]

C'est tout simplement dégueulasse et mon mot est choisi pour rester poli.

[Thuramir]

Je me disais que c'était trop beau pour être vrai 

Bienvenue dans le monde politique de la réalité ! 

[pyxous]

Je me disais que c'était trop beau pour être vrai 

Bienvenue dans le monde politique de la réalité ! 

ça peut se comprendre aussi dans l'état où se trouve actuellement l'europe, niveau chômage, insécurité etc ...
nombre de ces visas en profiterait pour rester à long terme avec tous les problèmes que cela occasionne, travail au noir, coùt social et j'en passe;

de plus le sentiment actuel nationaliste de certains pays (dont le nôtre) n'est pas fait pour libérer les visas

[Александр]

Il serait question que ce soit juste partie remise et reporté à septembre.
A voir.

[richard]

Mais oui mais oui.. Septembre 2026. La crédibilité de l Europe va en prendre un coup.Ja n y crois plus depuis 15 ans mais certains de mes amis avaient repris espoir et pourtant c est pas faute d avoir dit que c était des conneries.

[Krispoluk]

Je me disais que c'était trop beau pour être vrai 

Bienvenue dans le monde politique de la réalité ! 

ça peut se comprendre aussi dans l'état où se trouve actuellement l'europe, niveau chômage, insécurité etc ...
nombre de ces visas en profiterait pour rester à long terme avec tous les problèmes que cela occasionne, travail au noir, coùt social et j'en passe;

de plus le sentiment actuel nationaliste de certains pays (dont le nôtre) n'est pas fait pour libérer les visas

Exactement, la faute à nos politiciens de pacotille, grâce à qui, ce grand machin invertébré qui s'appelle l'Europe prend l'eau de toutes part !
- On contrôle plus les frontières,
- On a mis dans le même sac des pays où le coût du travail est 3 fois plus faible et on s'étonne après de la crise dans le bâtiment et les transports routiers, sans compter l'agriculture...
Quelque soit l'endroit où on habite, il suffit de claquer des doigts pour trouver des ouvriers polonais ou roumains qui vont vous refaire à neuf votre baraque pour 40% du prix d'une entreprise française.
Mais voilà, parmi tous les connards qu'on a élu députés à Bruxelles, il y en a à peine 10% qui savent comment faire fonctionner une entreprise !
On est mal barrés 

[richard]

Mais oui mais oui.. Septembre 2026. La crédibilité de l Europe va en prendre un coup.Ja n y crois plus depuis 15 ans mais certains de mes amis avaient repris espoir et pourtant c est pas faute d avoir dit que c était des conneries.

[Krispoluk]

Mais oui mais oui.. Septembre 2026. La crédibilité de l Europe va en prendre un coup.Ja n y crois plus depuis 15 ans mais certains de mes amis avaient repris espoir et pourtant c est pas faute d avoir dit que c était des conneries.

Pourquoi tu postes toujours 2 fois, Richard, t'as des lunettes double foyer ?

[Александр]

Foreign Minister: No obstacles to introducing visa-free travel with EU

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says he sees no risks that could disrupt the introduction of visa-free regime with the European Union.

“I see no direct risks. The European Union is currently developing a special procedure to respond to migration risks that could occur due to the introduction of a visa-free regime,” Klimkin said during Government Question Hour held in Parliament today.

The minister specified that the corresponding procedure was already approved by the Council of Europe, and it should also be approved by the European Parliament.

Oui Paulo, mais il faut quand même attendre et ce n'est pas lui qui décide.

[richard]

non j ai les boules et comme chacun sait on a deux

[Krispoluk]

non j ai les boules et comme chacun sait on a deux

D'accord ! Mais elles ne fonctionnent (les boules) jamais en même temps, c'est alternatif, comme le courant

[benoit77]

Les politiques tournent autour du pot.
C'est une grande avancée qu'il y ai un pot (le régime des visas) et des gugus pour tourner autour.
De toute façon , l'impulsion politique de la libération est donnée, maintenant c'est les petites mains des ministères qui font le job. Les déclarations des uns et des autres , c'est la parade qui va autour.
C'est long mais ça va dans le bon sens.
Patience.

[Александр]

En attendant, il y a toujours les habituels abus (de la France):

Ukrainians unwelcomed. France denied visa for Euro 2016 to Ukraine’s youngest football fan


Volodya Bobenchyk shaking hands with Ukraine National Footnal Team player Andriy Yarmolenko. Photo from Volodya's Facebook 

 As visa liberalization for Ukraine looks more and more like mission impossible, Ukrainians continue to suffer from unjust and inexplicable visa refusals.

Eight year-old Volodya Bobenchyk from Lviv never misses any home game of FC Karpaty Lviv and cries when his favorite team loses. He walked with Andriy Yarmolenko from Ukraine National Football team to the football field when Ukraine was playing against Latvia, and is known as the youngest football fan of the country.

“Euro-2016 is a very important event, we couldn’t exclude it from our plans. Volodya has birthday in June, we decided to make this present for him and bring him to this important for Ukraine championship. We hope we will return with a victory,” Volodya’s mother Maryana told NTN channel in February. In June, the young boys’ dreams were broken when the French Embassy refused to grant him a visa.

On 2 June, the family received a letter stating that the aim of the trip wasn’t justified. “I was denied a visa for Euro-2016 with an explanation ‘aim of my trip is not clear.’ I have tickets for all games of my team, two-way plane tickets and previous Schengen visas in my passport. For France, I am not a fan,” a post on Volodya’s Facebook profile says.

On 3 June, Yevropeiska Pravda, a key Ukrainian outlet reporting on European Affairs, reported that Ukraine’s MFA sent a note to the French Embassy and invited the Head of the Consular Department to provide explanations for this incident, as well as to find a possible solution.

Yevropeiska Pravda also reported about a protest in front of the French Embassy in Kyiv that will be held on 6 June. “We figured out there’s a huge number of similar visa refusals with some of the fans forced to wait for a consular decision for over a month!” a statement on the page of Facebook event says. “This looks like a systematic attitude towards Ukrainian applicants. Plus, we have questions regarding France’s position on visa free regime.”

Fort Europe: Ukrainians unwelcomed



Howsoever outraging, Volodya’s story is no surprise for Ukrainian audience. Obtaining the Schenghen visa has always been a hassle, no matter who applies and which documents they provide.

In October 2015, journalist Kateryna Sergatskova was to collect a prestigious Kurt Schork Memorial Award in the Great Britain. However, the British Embassy refused to issue a visa – without any explanations, of course.


Kateryna Sergatskova with her baby son Yakov. Photo from dusia.telekritika.ua

Sergatskova is a Russian journalist who moved to Ukraine and received Ukrainian citizenship. She won the Kurt Schork Memorial award in the Local reporter category for reports from the war-torn Donbas. During the interview at the Embassy, Sergatskova wrote on Facebook, she was asked about her newborn. The woman was planning to take the several months-old baby with her which, visa-wise, might have looked suspicious, as if the mother was planning to illegally migrate.

In December 2015, a Radical Party MP experienced difficulties in obtaining a visa to Great Britain. Andriy Artemenko, a deputy chief of the European integration committee at Ukraine’s parliament, was denied a visa due to “lack of proof of his financial solvency” and “questionable” aims of visit. The deputy’s salary of 5800 UAH (a bit more than $200) didn’t look convincing despite the fact that all necessary documents, including travel tickets and hotel reservation, were submitted. The conflict was solved thanks to interference of Ukraine’s MFA, Artemenko later informed.

In January 2016, a team of sportsmen from Kirovohrad went to protest on front of the Embassy of Portugal in Kyiv. Two members of the team were denied a visa for participating in an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Lisboa, which jeopardized Ukraine’s representation. “In the Embassy, no one believes they will come back to Ukraine… They promise to review the decision in two weeks, but the championship is next week. Money for this trip was raised by the whole club, 40 thousand UAH, and it will be just wasted,” Yevhen Skyrda, chief of the club, commented then. Finally, after a lengthy picket, the sportsmen received their visas.

Twice as many visa refusals since beginning of Donbas war

According to the European Commission statistics, cited by Yevropeiska Pravda, in 2013, the last “peaceful” year, 1,7% of Ukrainians were denied a visa. In 2014 this number grew to 2,0%, and in 2015 – to 3,4%.

In particular, in last year Polish consulate in Vinnytsia denied to issue visa to 12% of applicants, next come the Dutch Embassy (7,2%), the Czech Republic (6,9%), Belgium (6,7%), and Germany (6,0%). “It’s striking that the statistics between different consulates of the same country differ so much. For instance, Polish consulates in Lutsk and Kyiv have refusals 1,4% and 1,8% correspondingly,” the article states.


Lines at the General Consulate of Poland in Lviv. Photo from Zaxid.net

Majority of denials happen due to incomplete applicants’ information, old passports, and conflict in Donbas, deputy chief of MFA Olena Zerkal told Deutsche Welle. Earlier Yanosh Kollar, Hungary’s Consul in Ukraine said that in 2015 more Ukrainians were caught providing fake documents, Yevropeiska Pravda reported.

On 1 June, Reuters reported that the European Union held off agreeing to ease travel rules for Georgia on Wednesday, and Turkey, Ukraine and Kosovo should also expect more delays in visa waiving as the bloc turns more cautious amid immigration fears.

The EU is expected to hold their first discussion on Ukraine for which a visa-free regime doesn’t only have technical but also an ideological meaning, fulfilling the country’s pro-European aspirations.
 Even though the EC survey found out that today Ukraine does not pose a migration risk for the EU, free travel to Europe still remains an impossible dream.

[Александр]

Nouvel épisode:

EU Council to consider visa-free regime with Ukraine on June 10, - Ukrinform

The issue of visa liberalization for Ukrainian citizens has been put on the agenda of the European Council meeting scheduled for June 10.

Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform news agency referring to an EU official.


The ministers of justice and home affairs from the EU member states will consider the issue of granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, and Kosovo at the EU Council meeting scheduled for June 10 in Luxembourg, the source said, adding that a final decision may not be reached on Friday since consultations at working and technical level on this matter are scheduled for June 14. Meanwhile, the problem is not about Ukraine, the official told the agency.


It was confirmed though that some EU members want to delay abolishing visas for the four countries being at different stages in terms of meeting visa liberalization criteria. In particular, Ukraine and Georgia have fully implemented their commitments under the Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

Read more: EU suspends decision on visa liberalization for Georgia amid immigration fears, - Reuters

The final decision on the matter is to be agreed by the EU Council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission.


As reported, in April, the European Commission introduced a legislative proposal to the EU Council and the European Parliament on the abolition of visa requirements for short-term travels within the Schengen area for the citizens of Ukraine. Source: http://en.censor.net.ua/n392154

Read more: Rada asks European Parliament to step up visa liberalization

[Александр]

Il y a du soutient:

Estonian PM insists Georgia, Ukraine be granted visa-free regime ASAP

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas says that Georgia and Ukraine have fulfilled all their commitments for visa-free travel to the European Union, and they should be granted the visa-free regime without any additional conditions.

”Georgia and Ukraine have complied with the established criteria and therefore, must be granted the visa-free regime as soon as possible. The issue of authority and the European Union being taken seriously is at stake,” he said in Tallinn on Tuesday while meeting with Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis, the press service of the Estonian government reported.

As was reported, the European Parliament does not plan to consider visa-free travel for Georgia before October.

This could have consequences for Ukraine, as the EU has been discussing visa-free regime suspension mechanisms.

[Александр]

Presidents of Ukraine and European Parliament discussed prospects of approval of visa-free regime and preparations to Ukraine-EU high-level political consultations



President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation with President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz in order to coordinate positions in the context of preparations to the Ukraine-EU high-level political consultations that will be held in Brussels on June 27. The parties also discussed the prospects of introduction of the visa-free regime for Ukrainians.

The interlocutors discussed the progress of Ukraine on the track of reforms. In this context, the President of the European Parliament congratulated the Head of State on the approval of constitutional amendments on justice, which became an important signal about the commitment of the Ukrainian authorities to the course of pro-European democratic reforms.

Martin Schulz reaffirmed that Ukraine had properly fulfilled all the criteria required for the introduction of the visa-free regime for Ukrainians by the EU. In this regard, he assured that he made every effort for the European Parliament to make a positive decision shortly.

The parties also discussed the situation in Donbas and noted the importance of further coordination of efforts with a view to continue sanction pressure on Russia, which should remain until Ukraine restores its sovereignty in Donbas and Crimea.

Delay in visa-free regime for Ukraine causes concern to E.U. states


Photo source: Getty Images

European countries question why the process is taking longer than expected 
       

25 E.U. member countries demand explanation from Germany, France and Italy on why the decision to abolish visas for Ukraine and Georgia continues to be put off; this came after a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee to the E.U. Council, according to Ukrinform news agency.

"Yesterday we considered the question of the position of the E.U. leading institution on the abolition of visa requirements for Georgian citizens. Germany is still blocking the decision, expressing concern about the high level of organised crime in Georgia. Berlin is supported by France and Italy on this matter. They also want to change Ukraine's role in this visa liberalization package," the European diplomat, who was present at the meeting commented.

Read also MEPs recommend not to consider visa-free regime for Georgia, Ukraine in one package

According to him, Justice and Interior Ministers of the E.U. states will discuss visa abolition for Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey and Kosovo on June 10.

"It is still early to talk about the visa-free regime for Turkey and Kosovo, but Ukraine and Georgia, as laid out in the European Commission reports, have clearly met all the criteria and deserve a cancellation of visa requirements. Therefore, 25 E.U. countries want to hear from Germany, France and Italy on the causes of delay in granting visa-free travel for our partners," the European diplomat added.

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