A source from high diplomatic circles has told an UNIAN correspondent in Brussels that the proposal of the European Commission on a visa-free regime with Ukraine would be discussed at the next meeting of the visa group, but the final decision would not have been drafted before the EU-Ukraine Summit to be held May 19.
”Preparing for the Ukraine summit May 19 has just started. This will be in four weeks that we have until summit, this in not envisaged, this question is not going to be discussed during the Council,” the source said
Answering the question on a possibility of EU putting forward new conditions for Ukraine, the diplomat said: ”Over the years that EU has established a technical evaluation proсess for granting visa liberalization to partners, there is a huge number of criteria that has to be met there: not less than 72 criteria. I`m not in the position to say that we can think about another one – 73rd or 74th. At least at this moment, it is not at the table.”
Commenting on a possible ”special decision” on Ukraine, in which, supposedly, the provisions on suspension of the visa-free regime are laid down, the official pointed out that people in many member states these days perceive the migration issue differently than it was three years ago. As so many people migrate to the EU, the governments are asking themselves whether there are adequate measures and tools that could be applied when migration flows are larger than foreseen and can`t be handled, according to the official. He went on to suggest that many of the EU Member States will consider this matter when discussing the legislative initiative of the Commission,” he said.
Earlier today, the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the European Commission had adopted a legislative initiative to grant Ukraine a visa-free regime.
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