After months of negotiations, the European Parliament and Council reached agreement on Dec. 8 on the suspension mechanism for visa liberalization agreements with Ukraine and Georgia.
The decision unblocks the last obstacle to the EU granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine.
The European Parliament could vote for the decision at first reading as early as next week, according to the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. If the parliament approves the decision, a visa-free regime could be introduced in January.
“Happy that our tireless work pays off! EU must now urgently grant well-deserved visa-free travel for Ukrainian and Georgian citizens!” Commissioner Johannes Hann wrote on his Twitter account soon after the decision was announced.
The revised regulation reduces migration risks and strengthens the suspension mechanism for countries on the list of states eligible for visa-free travel to the EU.Visa-free travel could be suspended if there is a substantial increase in the number of citizens refused entry to the EU, a rise in unjustified asylum applications, or a lack of cooperation on the return of migrants.
The deal also reduced the reference period ahead of a decision to suspend the visa-free regime, from six to two months.
This agreement was backed by the Civil Liberties Committee by 37 votes to nine, with two abstentions. Besides Ukraine, the deal takes in account liberalization proposals for Georgia, Turkey, and Kosovo.
“This agreement is balanced and is extremely important for both the effectiveness and credibility of the union’s visa liberalization policy,” the Slovak Interior Minister and President of the Council Robert Kalinak said, according to the press statement. “At the same time, the fact that we have reached an agreement should open the door to further progress on visa liberalization talks with other countries that meet all the necessary requirements.”
Ukraine’s visa-free regime negotiations with the EU started in 2010, soon after both sides – the European Union and Ukraine – signed their Visa Facilitation Agreement. The process stalled when former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych postponed signing Ukraine’s Association Agreement with EU in late 2013, trigger in the EuroMaidan Revolution. After the ex-president fled to Russia, Brussels intensified its dialog with the new Ukrainian authorities on the visa-free regime.
Over two years, the European Union put forward 144 requirements for Ukraine to meet to obtain a visa-free regime. Among them were demands that Ukraine introduce biometric passports, electronic asset declaration of officials, replace domestic passports with plastic identity cards, and pass anti-corruption legislation.
Although Ukrainian authorities had hoped to get a positive decision from the European Parliament first in 2015, and then by the end of 2016, the visa-free regime will now be introduced no sooner than in early 2017.
In November, President of the European Council Donald Tusk announced at the 18th EU-Ukraine Summit in Brussels that Ukraine had fulfilled all EU requirements for it to obtain a visa-free regime. The agreement on the suspension mechanism was the last step in the process.
According to the European Parliament’s agenda, a vote on approving the visa-free regime for Ukraine is scheduled for Jan. 18.
A decision on the granting of a similar regime to Georgia is to be made on the same day.
