Ukrainians hope to travel to the EU without visas starting from 2016 / Photo from UNIAN
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announces that the European Commission is to table its legislative initiatives at the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament as early as in April for the introduction of visa-free travels for Ukraine in the middle of 2016.
The president outlined this timeframe at a joint press conference with EC Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, an UNIAN correspondent reported.
Poroshenko also informed about agreements reached during his recent talks with President of the European Council Donald Tusk, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz that "legislative initiatives regarding the introduction of a visa-free regime for Ukraine in the middle of the current year will be submitted to the European Council and the European Parliament in April."
As UNIAN reported earlier, Poroshenko on March 16 signed the last document out of the so-called "visa-free" package – the law on e-declarations. On the following day, the president went to Brussels, where he discussed, among other things, the timeframe for the introduction of visa-free travels for Ukrainians. President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz announced in turn that the European Parliament is ready to support Ukraine's visa liberalization already this year.