Prospects of Visa-Free Travel to EU to 'Set in Motion 43 Million Ukrainians'

"The European Parliament has made a wrong move and soon we will realize this," Czech lawmaker Zdeněk Ondráček said in an interview with Sputnik Czech.

The lawmaker commented on a recent decision by the European Parliament to approve a mechanism that would allow for the implementation of visa-free regimes with Ukraine and Georgia. The decision was made by the majority of European lawmakers on Thursday.

Earlier, a source in the European Commission told RIA Novosti that a visa-free regime could be granted to both countries as soon as spring 2017.

"I’m concerned that in the near future, at most within a month, this decision will set in motion the entire Ukrainian population of 43 million. With the enticing prospect of visa-free travel, a large part of Ukrainians may decide to move to Europe in an attempt to ease their economic problems," the lawmaker told Sputnik Czech.

A recent survey conducted by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future revealed that 62.1 percent of Ukrainians consider that the economic situation in the country is getting worse.

Ondráček noted that since there is a shortage of qualified workers in the Czech Republic migrants could partially meet the country’s labor shortage.

"In fact, they could give Czechs a run for their money in the labor market. A company would always prefer hiring a Ukrainian national because this is less expensive. So, it seems that the European Parliament sent a very bad signal to Czech specialists," he pointed out.

He suggested that people from western and central Ukrainian regions "will pursue happiness" in the European Union, particularly in Central and Western Europe.

"There is a danger that there will be various types of adventurers among all those people coming to Europe. There will be risks for such countries as neighboring Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This should be taken into account. I would wish for Ukrainians not to be tempted by a gift from the EU, but to try to normalize their domestic situation," Ondráček concluded.

Kiev and Brussels started dialogue on visa liberalization in 2008. In November 2010, the EU proposed a plan of measures to Kiev to introduce a visa-free regime. In December 2015, the European Commission confirmed that Kiev had met all necessary criteria.

An association agreement between Ukraine and the EU has been ratified by parliaments of all member countries, except for the Netherlands.

Currently, the agreement is in the preliminary phase, and will fully come into force after it is ratified by all 28 EU members.

 

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