Ukraine: chances for a visa-free regime with the EU?

In mid-January of 2015 Ukraine launched the long-awaited process of issuing biometric passports, and thus met one of the European Union’s key requirements for the abolition of visas. A date for the final abolition of the visa requirement for Ukrainians travelling to Schengen states for up to three months is likely to be set during the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May. However, a final unanimous decision by all EU member states has not yet been taken. In addition to meeting certain technical requirements (including in the fight against corruption), such a decision will largely depend on the security situation in Ukraine, and on the dynamics of Ukrainian migration into the EU.

In recent weeks, military operations in eastern Ukraine have flared up; this has resulted in an increase in fatalities among both the military and the civilian population (about 5300 people, according to conservative UN estimates). At the end of January, the number of internally displaced persons inside Ukraine again began to rise rapidly, reaching almost 950,000. However, for the time being there has not been any sharp upsurge in migration from Ukraine to EU states; the only country in the EU which has recorded a noticeable rise is Poland.