The deputy minister informed that on May 6 in Kyiv an official meeting of the Joint Ukraine-EU Visa Committee took place, the main issue of which was improving the implementation by the European side of the agreement on the simplified visa issuance procedure.
According to Konstantin Yeliseyev, the meeting discussed the issue of expanding the category of persons entitled to simplified visa procedures for EU member states. In particular, the Ukrainian side proposed adding to the existing categories representatives of non-governmental organizations, religious communities, trade unions, and organized tourism.
"The first three categories were received positively, and we have essentially resolved this issue," the deputy minister stated. He added that all necessary legal procedures will be carried out in the near future, thanks to which these amendments will become legitimate.
In addition, according to the diplomat, the meeting discussed the issue of abolishing visa fees for Ukrainian citizens. "The European Commission in principle raised no objections to the possibility of Ukraine signing bilateral agreements on the abolition of charges for national visas," said the representative of Ukraine's foreign policy department, adding that active work will be carried out in this direction in the near future.
As Interfax-Ukraine reports, the deputy minister noted that the Ukrainian side once again informed European partners about cases of violations during the processing of Schengen visas by Ukrainians.