News

05-03-2013

Germany is Ready to Veto Shengen for Romania and Bulgaria The German government is going to veto Romania and Bulgaria's bid to join the Schengen Area.

27-02-2013

EU presents Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation with Georgia The EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstr?m presented the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation with Georgia.

22-01-2013

Ukrainians required to provide fingerprints to get long-term German visas, says Foreign Ministry Germany is to request biometric data from Ukrainian applicants for long-term visas, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service reported.

10-01-2013

EU citizens may visit Armenia without visas from now on European Commissioner Stefan Fule expressed his gratitude toward the decision of the Armenian government according to which citizens of the EU member countries will be able to visit Armenia without visas.

09-01-2013

Will the EU reimpose visas for travellers from Balkan countries? “FAKE asylum seekers”, warns a poster in Belgrade airport, “risk everything.” It is three years since Serbs, Macedonians and Montenegrins got the freedom to travel without a visa to Europe’s 26-member Schengen zone.

03-01-2013

Biometric passport start issued after series of preparations Issuance of biometric documents in Ukraine will begin after the completion of preparations, the State Migration Service of Ukraine press service informs.

25-12-2012

Ukrainians can stay without visa in Beijing for three days China has decided to provide the Ukrainian citizens with a 72-hour visa-free transit in Beijing (China) from January 1, 2013, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Oleksandr Dikusarov told a briefing.

21-12-2012

Visa requirements negative for Russia-EU economic ties - Putin The existing visa requirements for Russian and EU citizens are holding back the development of economic relations between Russia and the European Union, President Vladimir Putin said.

20-12-2012

Brok: European Parliament ready to work on visa facilitation for Ukrainians The European Parliament is ready to work on the simplification of the visa regime for Ukraine, Chair of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok has said.

17-12-2012

EU and Armenia sign visa facilitation agreement The EU and Armenia signed on Monday a visa facilitation agreement at a ceremony that took place in Brussels.

10-12-2012

EU reaffirms its commitment to achieve visa-free regime with Ukraine The European Union has reaffirmed its intention to establish a visa-free regime with Ukraine.

10-12-2012

Ukraine substantially progressed toward liberalization of visa regime with EU - expert Ukraine has substantially progressed in the direction of fulfillment of the first (legislative - Author) phase of the Action Plan on liberalization of the visa regime with the European Union.

10-12-2012

Ukraine substantially progressed toward liberalization of visa regime with EU - expert Ukraine has substantially progressed in the direction of fulfillment of the first (legislative - Author) phase of the Action Plan on liberalization of the visa regime with the European Union.

04-12-2012

The EU will not prohibit the entry of Ukrainians with old passports, - foreign Ministry Ukrainians and in the future will be able to enter the EU member-countries on the basis of a valid travel passport.

04-12-2012

Foreign Ministry: Ukrainians to travel to EU without biometric passports Ukrainian citizens will travel to EU member states on the basis of valid foreign passports (without the requirement that they be biometric) until the visa-free regime between the EU and Ukraine is introduced.

All News
 

Our Publications

 
11-04-2010

New Monitoring Report. Changes in Visa Policies of the EU Member States Vis-?-vis Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine

Download publications

 THE STEFAN BATORY FOUNDATION

 

The changes that can be observed in the last few years in the visa procedures followed may be attributed to a number of factors. First, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine have concluded with the EU a Visa Facilitation Agreement. Secondly, new Member States have joined the Schengen Area. These exacerbated the situation of those applying at consulates of the CEEC Member States surveyed: the number of visas issued has dropped significantly in 2008, as compared to 2007, for example, by 60% and 73% in the case of Polish consulates in Ukraine and Belarus, respectively. On the other hand, the situation at older Member State consulates seems to have improved little relative to 2005. 

The EU is perceived by citizens of Eastern European countries in the light of its visa policy towards them. For most of the applicants, a meeting with a consular officer constitutes their first ever opportunity to come into direct contact with those representing the EU. For many, a visa policy is also a sort of a ”litmus test” of the real goals and objectives the EU is pursuing vis-?-vis its partners from the East. Contrary to its friendly declarations, the real development of EU Eastern policy can not be truly envisaged without the facilitation of people-to-people contacts between EU Member States and their neighbouring countries. 

Though the EU Member States have jointly decided that in the long-term they will liberalise visas for citizens of Eastern Partnership countries (i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine ), as well as of Russia, it remains to be seen whether this decision will find its expression in concrete measures. In the short-term, the Union ought to lift all the visa fees for citizens of the neighbouring countries and ensure the better operation of the existing visa facilitation agreements. 

This Report has been drawn up within the framework of the Friendly EU Border Project, carried out by the Stefan Batory Foundation since 2002. The necessary surveys were conducted in cooperation with four NGOs from Eastern Europe: the Institute for Public Policy (Moldova), the Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia), the Centre for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine, and the Centre for Social Innovations from Belarus.