In Brussels experts estimated the prospects of introducing visa-free regime for Ukraine by the EU
Experts gathered to find out the status and prospects of introducing visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU and work out professional recommendations for Ukraine and other countries of the “Eastern Partnership” to carry out technical, legal, and political tasks aimed at achieving standards and criteria for visa-free state in relations with the EU; providing support, including from the European side, in creation of objective information on the preparation of Ukraine and other countries in the region for the entry to visa-free regime among citizens and political elite of EU member-states.
Round table participants included representatives of European Commission’s Directorates, the EU Council, European Parliament, leading experts on justice and home affairs. Discussion also took place with participation of representatives of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), EU Missions from Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Russia, Hungary, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Participants focused their attention on discussion of the problems and challenges on Ukraine’s way to gaining criteria of visa-free country and prospects of visa dialogue, initiated between Ukraine and the EU in October, 2008. The representative of Poland at the EU Philip Yasinski noted that the issue of granting road maps to visa-free regime for Eastern European countries is on the EU agenda, while mentioning that the EU Council is most opposed to the quick movement towards visa liberalization, due to the position of some powerful member-countries.
Participants also discussed the experience of acquiring visa-free regime with the EU countries of Western Balkans countries, including Serbia, and possibility of extending its effective components for Ukraine. Thus, according to Aleksandra Stiglmayer (European Stability Initiative), publication of periodic reports of European Commission was essentially important, because they gave an opportunity to assess progress of countries during each semester and draw public attention to those issues that remained unresolved.
The most heated debate of the participants was focused on the issues pertaining to assessment of “migration threats” from Ukraine and other countries of the “Eastern Partnership” in the context of the prospects for visa-free regime. Participants also discussed issues of EU assistance in meeting the criteria and standards for visa-free countries and EU policy towards the abolition of visas for the countries of the “Eastern Partnership”.
The round table has become one of the outcomes of the launched institutional cooperation between Ukrainian NGOs (Center for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine, “Europe without Barriers”) and leading expert organization in the Western Europe (European Policy Center, Brussels). Conduct of the event was supported by the European Program of the International Renaissance Foundation within the direction of integration of Ukraine and EU at the level of civil society and think tanks. One of the purposes of this direction is to promote a greater accessibility to the views and opinions of Ukrainian experts in the European Union and, accordingly, better understanding of Ukraine in the EU.
In the frames of the launched collaboration between Center for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine, “Europe without Barriers” and the European Policy Centre, a round table on visa dialogue Ukraine-EU in the context of the “Eastern Partnership” is planned in Kyiv in early June 2010 (follow the announcements on www.novisa.org.ua).
Contact information: Iryna Sushko, iryna_sushko@ukr.net, Oleksandr Sushko, sushko@cpcfpu.org.ua
