EU Parliament Committee Backs Visa-Free Travel for Ukraine, Georgia, Kosovo

The European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs recommended Thursday granting visa-free travel to Ukrainians, Georgians and Kosovars.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — EU lawmakers voted by a wide margin to adopt three opinions that said the three countries had made headway in meeting EU benchmarks for lifting visa requirements.

"Ukraine has made a great progress on its European path since the EuroMaidan protests two years ago," rapporteur on Ukraine Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, of Poland, was quoted in the parliament’s statement as saying.

The parliament’s Latvian rapporteur on Georgia, Andrejs Mamikins, praised the Georgian government for doing a "great job" and wished them success on the path of EU integration.

Austria’s Ulrike Lunacek, overseeing Kosovo, said she was convinced that the small Balkan nation deserved travel freedoms that are enjoyed everywhere else in the region.

The opinions of the Foreign Affairs Committee will be sent to the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee, which will vote on them after the summer recess.