EU cancels visas for Ukraine and Georgia

Despite the fact that the negotiations took a long time, representatives of the EU countries and members of the European Parliament came to a final agreement on a visa-free regime for Ukraine and Georgia. Despite the fact that the countries met those EU requirements, a number of European representatives had concerns about the influx of illegal immigrants - the introduction of a visa-free regime opens the borders for more than 50 million people, some of whom could come to the European Union and stay there to earn money. Without obtaining the necessary permission.The parties reached a compromise: in case of problems (for example, a significant number of refugees or illegally working citizens from Ukraine and Georgia), the EU member states have the right to suspend the visa-free entry agreement.

Most likely, the law will come into force in 2017. Next week, a plenary vote in the European Parliament will take place, after which the bill will go to the Legal Department for review (the procedure can take up to two months). Following this, the ministers of the EU countries will vote, within the framework of the European Council, which will mean the final approval of the initiative. Finally, the law will take effect 20 days after publication in the official EU journal. The representatives of the united Europe argue that there will be no problems with the passage of all these stages - the law has already been agreed with all interested parties and does not raise questions.

Recall that the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has repeatedly stated that he considers the introduction of a visa-free regime with the EU one of the main points of his election program. Earlier it was promised that it would be possible to reach an agreement on November 24, but the coordination of interests took longer.

However, the innovations will affect only those who plan to visit the EU on a short-term visit - primarily for tourism purposes.You will still need a visa to obtain the right to work or long-term study at the university. However, if we talk about students, the new regime still greatly simplifies life: now about the formalities associated with obtaining visasUkrainian and Georgian students will be able to forget, for example, when attending a summer school or during volunteer activities in the EU. Citizens of these countries will be able to stay in the territory of the EU countries and members of the Schengen Agreement for up to 90 days during each period of 180 days (in the case of a longer period, a visa is required).