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Last week the European Parliament approved with a majority of votes agreements on simplifying visa regulations and readmission between the European Union and Ukraine. Now, in order for these agreements to take effect they must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament and approved by the EU Council of Ministers. Meanwhile, certain sources inform that Romania and Bulgaria will become an obstacle to the final approval of the agreements that will simplify the access of Ukrainians to EU countries.
The problem is that official Kyiv has yet to grant visa-free regulations to citizens of those two Central European countries after they became members of the European Union. Opening the borders in 2005 for citizens of 25 EU member countries (at that time Bulgaria and Romania were not a part of the EU) was, in fact, a totally voluntary step on the part of Kyiv. This is why diplomats believe that demands for the automatic extension of a visa-free regime to Bulgarians and Romanians are groundless and that Sophia and Bucharest will not be able to block the agreement between Ukraine and the EU from taking legal force. Diplomats say this is a technical issue and promise that it will be settled in the foreseeable future.
The agreement on simplified visa regulations for Ukrainians envisages a fixed price of EUR 35 for a visa (EUR 70 for urgent processing of visa applications) and free visas for pensioners, journalists, athletes, high school and university students, members of parliament of all levels and close relatives of EU citizens.
In addition to that, the new agreement makes it mandatory for the consul of a corresponding country to approve a decision on granting a visa within a 10-day term and provide a written explanation for rejection.
A special committee made up of representatives of Ukraine and the EU will be created to ensure more effective execution of the agreement. The committee will be responsible for monitoring the process of practical fulfillment of the agreements, drafting of amendment proposals and the settlement of disputes. It is planned that the committee will meet when necessary, but no less than once a year.
Signing of the agreement on readmission in its “strict” edited version was the price Ukraine had to pay for introduction of simplified visa regulations. The readmission agreement obligates Ukraine to admit and provide for all migrants that in the past have illegally crossed the EU border with Ukraine. To add insult to injury, by virtue of the tough EU readmission agreement Ukraine is made fully responsible for deciding the fate of such illegal migrants.
Experts say that usually such a variant of an agreement on readmission is signed in exchange for the introduction of visa free regulations, not for “a partially simplified version for certain categories of citizens”. For example, Russians, who are currently holding talks on this very issue with the EU, have stated repeatedly that they are prepared to consider a “tough readmission agreement” only if all limitations are lifted for Russian citizens traveling to the member countries of the European Union. At the same time, Ukrainians managed to get a two-year extension of the date the agreement with the EU will be introduced as it relates to persons without citizenship and citizens of third countries.
Meanwhile, experts claim that not everything depends on the EU decision. The majority of visa issues are of internal origin. The biggest problem is the low “throughput capacity” of the consulates of foreign countries in Ukraine and rapidly spreading and multiplying shadow schemes of profiting on Ukrainians wanting to obtain a visa.
According to informed sources, Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is actively working with consuls and ambassadors of European countries on improving the process of diplomatic offices of European countries accepting visa applications of Ukrainian citizens. Nevertheless, foreign diplomats justifiably note that the Ukrainian authorities must keep in mind that the problem of long lines at consulates, for example, is largely due to the desire of certain highly entrepreneurial Ukrainians to profit on their fellow countrymen wanting to go abroad.
Eyewitnesses say that such lines become artificially longer when members of certain organized profiteers offer their place in line for up to EUR 400-600 to people standing further back in the line. Consular offices and embassies of different countries have submitted requests to the local law enforcement bodies to monitor the lines at their consulates for such “insidious visa infiltrators”. Interestingly enough, during check-ups these swindlers would quickly disperse leaving hardly any line-up whatsoever to the consulate. As soon as the plice inspection team left the scene, the visa swindlers would immediately come out of the woodworks like termites in a dark room and the lines would quickly form again.
In short, simplifying the legal regulation of visa procedures does not guarantee Ukrainian citizens easier access to EU countries. The government simply must sever the link between these so-called “visa bugs” and certain overly communicative (and sometimes profit seeking) law enforcement officers. Otherwise, the advantages of the agreement on a simplified visa regime will remain on paper, the achievements of Ukrainian diplomats will be senseless and in vain and the illegal profits of these schemers insidiously working by the wickets of foreign consulates will multiply thanks to the instant growth in the number of Ukrainians attempting to get a “simplified” visa for EUR 35. | 
