Ukraine and Euro Union signed the Agreement about the simplification of visa regime

Ukraine and European Union signed today the Agreement about the simplification of visa regime. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Konstantin Gryshenko reported about it in his Twitter blog:

“The news from the diplomatic fields: I’ve just signed the Agreement about the simplification of the visa regime with EU”.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry it is about the simplification about visa requirements and free visas for the representatives of civil organizations, public and religious organizations and journalists.

Kostyantyn Gryshenko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Liberalization of the visa regime with EU countries is one of the main tasks for Ukrainian Foreign ministry, but it requires the fulfillment of all the previous agreements by all the state institutions. 

Oleh Voloshin, Director of the Department of informational policy of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, stated that this is not the question of Foreign Ministry anymore, as it is about the imposing of the law of biometric passports, the compliance of the immigration law, the adoption and fulfillment of international agreements and treaties signed by Ukraine, such as the agreements about human trafficking, labor and sexual slavery etc. All the departments have to work to receive the plan for creating the visa-free regime in the future.

It is worth mentioning that there was an Agreement about the simplification of the visa regime for special categories of Ukrainian citizens signed by Ukraine and Euro Union two years ago. At the beginning of July 2012 the Head of European Parliament’s Committee for foreign affairs Elmar Brock spoke out against signing of this agreement at the current stage as Ukraine is not ready such a step yet. The reasons were the absence of transparent and democratic political system in Ukraine, selective justice which is targeting the opposition leaders, the human rights violations in Ukraine etc. But the majority of European Parliament deputies didn’t support this statement. As a result the Agreement about simplification of visa regime between Ukraine and European countries was signed today. The negotiations about this Agreement have been held during the long time, and this Agreement can be the next and very important step in the relationships between Ukraine and Euro Union and on the way of Ukraine to European integration.