30 years ago, my father visited Germany with the tourist group, he brought from there a lot of impressions and gifts that had not been seen before. He dreamed about seeing Germany personally for all his life. It is difficult for modern youth to imagine how difficult it was for a Soviet citizen to go abroad. The iron curtain slid apart gradually.
My father was in East Germany, the socialist GDR. 17 years later I visited already the united country, was in its western part, which was part of the capitalist FRG. I received the visa quickly, and it was assisted by a business trip. Now, almost every Ukrainian can go to Europe without a visa, but with a biometric passport. Such opportunities were opened almost a year ago. June 11, 2017 Ukrainians finally got the right to visa-free visits to EU countries. The question was considered for a long time and reminded the story of carrot that dangled in front of the donkey’s nose, who could not reach it. Our country has granted the right of visa-free travel for EU citizens back in 2005.
Visa-free travel for Ukrainian operates with all EU countries, except Great Britain and Ireland. But Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway are opened, which are not EU members, but are part of the Schengen zone. Ukrainians can stay in the EU countries for foreign biometric passports or with a Schengen visa for 90 days within 180 days.
Advantages and disadvantages
“The advantages are obvious, we got access to one of the three main freedoms of the EU, – said to DUMKA Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. – First of all, the event had an extremely important symbolic significance for the people, who are defending their European choice with weapons in their hands every day. I think, the young people, who are the most active, get the most benefits. A whole continent opened up for them. Also visa-free travel has greatly simplified the life of entrepreneurs, who cooperate with the Europeans. Airlines became more active, new rail and bus routes appeared. This is an investment in infrastructure, therefore, the revival of the economy”.
The official is convinced: the visa-free opened up Europe for all people, who may feel like they are a part of the free world. And the results of this freedom will soon be felt: “The number of people, who see how the EU lives, understand the importance of European integration, and never again will believe in Russian propaganda, which still tries to present a backward in all senses “Russian world” for the alternative to “united Europe”.
People’s deputy Oksana Yurynets, Chairman of the Subcommittee on regional and cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and the EU countries of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on European Integration, told to DUMKA about the year, full of international business trips. She visited 14 countries, most of which are members of the EU: Germany, Poland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Sweden, Romania, Italy, Croatia.
“The most real advantage is the opportunity to travel without the need to obtain a visa, – Oksana said. – If you have a biometric passport – you have no borders. Do not stand in lines at consular departments, spend money on services. At the same time, it cannot be said that visa-free travel is a panacea. We still have many problems on the borders. I am more familiar with the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border. “Shuttle” did not disappear, respectively, and the queue, when crossing the border. But we are gradually moving in the right direction”.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze assured that there are no systemic problems with visa-free travel on the border. Although, there are isolated vexatious cases, which, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, are promptly responded by the competent authorities.
“For wealthy citizens of Ukraine, who could afford to travel to Europe before, getting a Schengen for several years was not a problem, – political scientist Viktor Kaspruk said to DUMKA. – But for most of the country’s population visa-free travel became a potential opportunity to feel like a personality. You do not need to run around the consulates with a bunch of papers and prove that you are not a potential “guest worker” and asylum seeker. In addition, the presence of a biometric passport greatly simplifies the crossing of the border”.
To Europe in a new way
It would seem that it is easy to calculate the number of compatriots, began to visit the EU countries since June 11 last year. However, the statistical data from different sources have significant differences.
“For almost a year (data were announced on May 4, 2018 – editor’s note) In the direction of the European Union, went 17,600,000 Ukrainians, 4,200,000 of which used foreign biometric passports, – Kateryna Kulchytska, Deputy director of the NGO “Europe without barriers” said in the press center of IA “Glavkom”. – But our border service reports that the visa-free travel was used by 490,000 of our citizens”. That is, all the rest, according to the State Border Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, had valid visas or permits for temporary or permanent residence, which they used together with foreign biometric passports”.
According to the expert, thanks to visa-free travel, most of the citizens went abroad without any particular problems.
“But at the same time, there are valid statistics for 2017, which shows that when Ukrainians entered the EU countries, they were generally refused 37,117 times, – continued Kateryna Kulchytska. – This is 34% more than in 2016. And the main reason for the refusals, despite the visa-free travel, was, first of all, the lack of documents, confirming the purpose of the trip and the conditions of stay. 16.5 thousand people were denied exactly because of that.
In second place is the absence of a valid visa or permit for temporary or permanent residence. Some of our citizens did not fully understand the rules of the visa-free travel. Tried to go without a valid visa or used their permission for temporary or permanent residence, which has expired. Almost 8 thousand citizens are denied for this reason. In third place – the lack of sufficient funds, would confirm the person’s ability to stay in Schengen for a certain amount of time. 4370 citizens could not prove to the border guards that they have the means”.
Excess length of stay is also among the reasons for refusals to Ukrainians in visiting the EU countries. Violators of migration legislation are brought into databases, and in the future they will have problems with trying to travel to Europe.
They will not take away visa-free travel
Recently, the media raised the issue of abolishing visa-free travel to the EU for Ukrainians. Is there any reason to trust these fears? Usually visa-free regime cancellation is associated with the violation by our citizens of migration rules, as well as with the failure of the Ukrainian Government to implement a package of reforms.
Kateryna Kulchytska reassured: everything is under control, and the above statistics of violations is not critical. However, the analyst warned: “But if one of the indicators of the mechanism for suspending the visa-free travel, and this may be illegal stay, denial of entry, and committing crimes on the territory of the EU, significantly increase, it will cause its temporary suspension”.
And what about the abolition of the visa-free travel due to the inability of the authorities to implement the necessary reforms, in particular to create an effective Higher Anti-Corruption Court? Political expert Valerii Dymov does not believe in this: “If there is no Anti-Corruption Court, then Ukraine will not receive investments, corruption will further absorb the economy and politics. This can lead to massive processes of the rapid departure of many Ukrainians abroad. That is, indirectly it can be, but directly the requirement of creation of HACC is not connected with the criteria on which can deprive visa-free travel”.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze noted that “We should work on further progress in the implementation of reforms, including strengthening the fight against corruption. However, I emphasize, no one has ever “tied” the visa-free travel to the Anti-Corruption Court. We fulfilled all the requirements foreseen by the Visa Liberalization Plan, and therefore got this liberalization. However, Ukrainians should remember: responsibility for visa-free travel lies also on them – ordinary citizens, who travel through Europe. Visa-free travel can be taken away if there is a significant increase in violations of the border crossing and rules of stay in the EU countries by our citizens or, for example, a significant increase in asylum seekers in the EU from Ukraine”.
Oksana Yurynets also reassures Ukrainians. According to her, the procedure of “taking away” visa-free travel is no less complicated than receiving it. And we were given it for fulfilling more than 140 conditions.
7 euros for what?
Another fear of visa-free travels is this: they will nibble, if not eat everything. Many were alarmed by the information that for trips to the EU countries they have to pay 7 euros.
“Nobody cancels and does not make visa-free travel paid. This is a system that will allow the EU to protect itself from unwanted guests – criminals, terrorists, etc., – explained Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze. – It is a questionnaire, which will have to be filled 96 hours before the trip, and 7 euros, so that your person is checked on the basis of Europol and Interpol. These 7 euros in any case will not be charged before each trip! The entry permit will be valid for 3 years or until the expiration date of the passport. It’s just a project. If the decision is made, it will concern not only Ukraine, but all third countries that have visa-free travel to the EU. I think this system will help our joint security with neighbors, and will not become an obstacle to free travel for law-abiding citizens. If you are not a criminal, there’s no reason to worry”.
Oksana Yurynets added: “The proposal of the so-called paid authorization for trips to EU countries of citizens from countries that are not members of the European Union is an initiative of the Council of Ambassadors of the EU. There are several reasons. These are improvements in the registration of persons, who crossed the borders of the EU, and prevention of illegal migration. However, in order for this proposal come into force, it must pass two more approvals: the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. And this does not happen quickly. In addition, as far as I know, the proposal first deals with air and sea borders. And only three years after the introduction of the system on these borders, the change will work at automobile checkpoints”.
The system is planned to be introduced in 2021. On the assurances of Kateryna Kulchytska, there are already difficulties with its launch, because significant financial investments and software updates are needed. Meanwhile, in Ukraine there is a visa-free boom in the desire to get biometric passports as soon as possible and go to Europe.
“Not everyone, who stood in long queues for a biometric passport last year, went somewhere, – said Viktor Kaspruk. – This, probably, was some kind of a massive psychosis – that is, everybody gets such a passport, that’s why, I also need to get it urgently. This is one reason. And another, very weighty – many of our citizens do not have money to go somewhere at all, especially abroad”.
Abroad with visa-free travel and without it
DUMKA asked the well-known Ukrainians: whether they already used visa-free travel, which countries they have visited and what impressions they have received of crossing the border?
Angelika Rudnytska, singer, artist, advisor to the Minister of Culture, president of Territory A:
“Ironically, my passport expired approximately at the time of visa-free entry. I did not have the strength and time to stand in the queues and get a new passport. Therefore, I did not feel the benefits. However, now, when the passport fever has abated, I updated the documents and will be able to share my impressions as soon as I use the new passport and the opportunities of visa-free travel. I dream to visit many cities and countries”.
Oleksandr Avramenko, TV presenter, the author of school textbooks:
“Earlier I was in the EU countries less often, because the issuance of visas, bales of documents, the requirement to prove that I have enough money in my bank account, a written promise that I will not stay in the EU and will definitely return to Ukraine… How humiliating it is! For a person, who has dignity, this is unacceptable. Not to mention the funds that had to be paid for each visa. Therefore, in most cases I rested in the eastern countries. Visa-free travel fixed the situation: I already used it twice. In January, I flew to the UAE (visa-free from the UAE is effective from December 31, 2017 – the editor’s note). At the airport, Ukrainians without a biometric passport stand in a separate long queue for additional control, and it is time, which cannot be bought or stopped. It’s the little things! In addition, the travel agency returned to me 82 US dollars, which I paid for the visa earlier, when I bought the tour, and between Ukraine and the UAE, at that time, had not yet acted visa-free travel. At the end of February, I spent the weekend in Rome. Passport control – that’s all! No questions and delays! I felt myself a member of a large European family. In July – Krakiw, and in September – Vienna. To be continued!”
Serhii Trymbach, deputy chairman of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine:
“I did not use visa-free travel, because I have a Schengen visa for 5 years. When crossing the border, I did not notice any special changes. Unless the Ukrainian border guards and customs officers became picky, and along with them and Polish. However, during the year I traveled a little (except Poland, I visited Germany), so I do not have enough empirical material for generalizations. Noticeably – young Ukrainians have a very positive enthusiasm for visa-free travel. The elders are much skeptical”.
Maryna Pavlenko, children’s writer:
“Only two months ago – not without a fight! – I managed to stand in line and submit documents for biometric passports. In a month, accordingly, we will go to get it and only then we will be able to assess the advantages. During this time (since June 2017) there was only a trip to Poland with a training purpose. We traveled by one bus with colleagues, who have biometric passports, but we stood for 7 hours at the customs office on the way there and for 3 hours at customs on the way back, and my colleagues stood just like we did”.
Anatolii Gnatyuk, actor of the National Academic Drama Theater named after I. Franko:
“Unfortunately, I have not yet used visa-free travel, because I work like a dog. I only see how others travel. But I hope to use it, someday there will be at least a week of vacation. I have a biometric passport. True, last summer we flew to Crete, but we bought tickets at a travel agency, so then everything was, as usual”.
Text: Viktor Tsvilikhovsky
