Statistics of the "visa-free" regime
According to data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, in the first three months of the visa-free regime, the flow of Ukrainian citizens heading to the Schengen Area alone increased by 15 percent. At the same time, the number of Ukrainians detained by border guards in EU countries (most notably in Poland) with fake visas significantly decreased.
As reported to Deutsche Welle by Oleksandr Tykhonov, deputy head of the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, since June 11, 2017, more than half a million Ukrainian citizens have taken advantage of the visa-free regime with Schengen Area countries (in addition to 22 EU states, these include four more European countries), while nearly one and a half thousand were denied entry. The most common reasons for refusal are lack of proper documents and insufficient financial support for the trip.
Feeling of freedom
Famous Ukrainian blogger and model Sviatoslav Boiko is one of those who have fully taken advantage of visa-free trips to EU countries over the past year.
"It's freedom when you can just get on the Kyiv-Przemyśl train and get off in Poland, and they just check your documents on the train. It's pleasant," the young man admits, noting that he previously had a one-year Schengen visa and regularly visited EU countries. For Sviatoslav and many of his acquaintances, the visa-free regime with the EU has simplified life but not radically changed it. "Those who traveled, they still travel, and this visa-free regime hasn't particularly affected them," explained Sviatoslav Boiko.
However, the visa-free regime became a true revolution of consciousness for members of the amateur folk ensemble "Berehynia" from the village of Kozatske in Chernihiv region. After photos of their check-in at Boryspil Airport were posted online, social media users dubbed them "visa-free grandmothers" and even joked about the "life-giving visa-free regime."
The oldest member of the ensemble is 81 years old. She, along with others, went to a music festival in Hungary under the visa-free regime with a new biometric passport. As one of the soloists of "Berehynia," Kateryna Burzak, said, the whole village was worried before their first trip abroad, not sleeping all night. They returned from Hungary deeply impressed. "Everything was top-notch. Beautiful! We had never even flown on a plane before. It was our first time abroad. It's indescribable! It felt like we were in paradise!" exclaims Kateryna Ivanivna.
Fall of the "Iron Curtain"
According to Amanda Paul, an expert at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy, the main achievement of the visa abolition lies in the gradual fall of the mental "Iron Curtain."
"I think the older generation had a very specific idea of Europe, perhaps as some exotic or mysterious place. But now that these people have had the opportunity to visit it, they have obviously formed a different impression," Paul suggested.
The financial issue remains a serious barrier for many. The low exchange rate of the Ukrainian hryvnia against the euro (almost 30 to one) makes holidays in Europe generally accessible only to wealthy citizens. One can only hope for the emerging growth in salaries, as well as the increasing number of flights to Ukraine by budget airlines and the expansion of bus services.
Visa-free regime and labor migration
The introduction of the visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU occurred against the backdrop of active labor migration from Ukraine. In Poland alone, according to data cited in early 2018 by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, there are currently 1.5 million Ukrainians. German farmers also count on labor from Ukraine, the Czech Republic awaits Ukrainian nurses, and Slovakia simplifies the employment procedure for Ukrainians.
So, were those who warned that the introduction of the visa-free regime, although it does not grant the right to work, would facilitate labor migration correct? However, according to Varvara Zhluktenko, an expert at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), visa-free travel and labor migration are not related. At the same time, to draw specific conclusions, she advises waiting for comprehensive studies on this topic.
New rules – from 2020
Meanwhile, Ukrainian citizens continue to apply en masse for biometric passports, which are necessary for visa-free travel. Many are doing so in advance. However, the frenzy that preceded the visa-free regime is already gone. This has been facilitated by the improved technical equipment of the State Migration Service of Ukraine. Nevertheless, as admitted by the agency's press secretary Serhii Hunko: "Regarding foreign passports, we expect a decline in demand."
The current rules for crossing the border with Schengen Area countries are expected to remain in place until 2020. By then, the EU should launch a new system for registering the entry and exit of third-country nationals, designed to speed up the border crossing procedure. The new rules will also affect Ukrainians. However, what this system will look like is still unknown.