Nevertheless,
there has been a huge positive development this week related to Schengen visa
issuance, which deserves some more explanation. Namely, the EU council
(ministers of EU Member States) ratified the further simplification
(facilitation) of visa regime for certain categories of Ukrainian
citizens. These changes would come into force on July 1, 2013.
What is the
essence of these changes?
1) The number of categories of
Ukrainian citizens who can apply for multiple and long-term visas has been
significantly extended. As of July 1,
the following groups of Ukrainian citizens will find it easier to apply for
Schengen visas: drivers dealing with international cargo and passenger
transportation services, journalists as well as the technical crew accompanying
them (for example, cameramen); participants in official exchange programs organized
by municipal entities other than twin cities; close relatives of EU citizens
residing in the territory of the Member State of which they are nationals;
people accompanying persons visiting for medical reasons; representatives of
civil society organizations undertaking trips for the purposes of educational
training, seminars, conferences; members of the professions participating in
international exhibitions, conferences, symposia, seminars or other similar
events; representatives of religious communities; and participants in official
EU cross-border cooperation programs;
2) Contrary to the current practice,
long-term multiple visas will be issued “for the period of
one/five years” and not “up to one/five years”. This means that
such categories like business people and journalists would eventually need to
apply for Schengen visas only once every five years. Within those five years
they will be able to travel to Schengen countries any time they want. Other
groups mentioned above as well as students, scientists, artists, athletes and
their accompanying staff will be granted one-year multiple entry visas;
3) All these groups of Ukrainian
citizens (with the exception of drivers) will get their visas free of charge;
4)
The
European Union obliges itself to establish a harmonized list of supporting
documents in order to ensure that Ukrainian applicants for short-stay visas are
required to submit, in principle, the same supporting documents in each EU
Member State consulate issuing Schengen visas.
It is worth
mentioning that the facilitated visa regime, which has been in place so far,
already had a number of benefits for Ukrainian citizens:
1) The reduced fee of 35 euro for the
visa (instead of the standard 60 euros);
2) People under 25 years, who take part
in n seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events, organized
by non-profit organizations have enjoyed a full visa fee waiver;
3)
The
decision on a visa application has been limited to 10 days after its
receipt.
So does
this visa facilitation (simplification) mean that the visa-free regime for
Ukrainian citizens is now closer to them?
Actually,
the visa-free regime is a completely separate story, which is a subject to a
separate process, the so-called visa-free dialog between the EU and Ukraine. In
2010, the EU presented a document in Ukraine called Visa Liberalisation Action
Plan (VLAP), which contains necessary legislative and institutional conditions,
which Ukraine needs to meet in order to be considered by the EU for a visa-free
regime. The VLAP is divided into two phases:
1) Phase I focuses on the adoption of a
number of key laws related to the visa issues;
2)
Phase
II will then concentrate on the implementation of these laws and on the
effective functioning of those institutions set up in the Phase I.
As of today,
Ukraine remains in the Phase I, eg. a certain number of laws still must be
implemented, certain institutions are still be to be established in order to
move on to Phase II, like it is the case with neighboring Moldova.
Among those
laws that need to be adopted are anti-corruption, anti-discrimination and data
protection bills.
The EU has
taken a note of recent legislative initiatives undertaken by the Ukrainian
parliament, but it should be stressed that all the VLAP benchmarks need to be
addressed and implemented in line with EU standards and norms.
Once both
phases of VLAP are fully implemented, the EU Member States would be in the
position to make their final decision on granting Ukraine and its citizens a
visa-free regime. But bearing in mind all that legislative and
institution-building process, which needs to be completed by Ukraine, it is
clear that the pace with which Ukraine approaches visa-free travel with Europe
is fully under the control of Ukrainian authorities.
David Stulík is the Press and
Information Officer of the Delegation
of the European Union to Ukraine.
