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Adding Fuel to the Fire: Why Ukraine-EU Visa-Free Regime May Not Happen

© Flickr / Ivan BanduraMassive pro-EU rally in Kiev. November 24, 2013
Massive pro-EU rally in Kiev. November 24, 2013 - Sputnik International
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A visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU is likely to fall victim to the anti-immigration sentiment now prevalent in Europe. But even if the visas are gone, Ukrainians will still not be able to enjoy complete freedom of movement within the 28-nation bloc, Deutsche Welle warned.

Mysterious military vehicles on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. - Sputnik International
EU-Ukraine Visa-Free Regime Talks Unaffected by Refugee Crisis in Europe
The Brussels' executive backed Ukraine and Georgia’s bid for visa-free access to the EU on Friday, opening the way to more than 40 million people to potentially travel visa-free to the bloc.

The European Commission said both countries had carried out the reforms they promised to enact to win Brussels’ backing and they planned to make the formal legal recommendation in early 2016.

It will then be up for approval by EU governments and the European Parliament.

Participants of a rally held by supporters of Ukraine's EU integration. File photo - Sputnik International
German Lawmaker: Joining EU Unlikely to Help Ukraine
When asked by Deutsche Welle about the proposed liberalization of the visa regime for Ukraine, foreign policy experts warned that the whole process could face strong opposition by political forces within the EU who see it as part of the migrant crisis the EU countries are desperately trying to deal with.

Earlier this month, Joachim Herrmann, the Minister of the Interior of the German federal state of Bavaria, said that the German authorities should not introduce a visa-free regime for citizens of Georgia and Ukraine in order to avoid the same mistakes that were made with the countries of the Western Balkans.

“Instead of repeating the mistakes of the abolition of the visa regime with the countries of the Western Balkans, Europe needs to take serious care of the security of the European borders,” he said.

Peter Kleppe, the head of the Brussels branch of the Open Europe think tank, described the European Commission’s move as premature.

“The idea [of granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine] is not unconditionally endorsed either by the European public or even by the governments of the EU countries,” he said.

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