VOA Special English
EU Proposed Visa-Free Travel for Ukrainians

    2016/4/21

    The European Union is considering a proposal to offer visa-free travel to Ukrainians.

    If approved, the plan would permit Ukrainians to travel for up to 90 days throughout the European Union's 28 member states.

    The EU Migration Commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said Wednesday that the Ukrainian government has made successful judicial and security reforms. These include improved efforts against organized crime and better border security, The Wall Street Journal reports.

    Biometric passports are one of the conditions Ukraine has to fulfill in order to ease its visa requirements with the EU
    Biometric passports are one of the conditions Ukraine has to fulfill in order to ease its visa requirements with the EU

    Last December, the EU Migration Commission announced that Ukraine had met its goals listed under the EU Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

    The proposal now needs approval from the European Parliament and EU member states. If approved, Ukraine would be added to the list of countries whose citizens can travel in the EU without a visa.

    The Commission stressed that the measure did not give Ukrainians the right to live or work in the EU.

    Also on Wednesday, Avramopoulos noted that Turkey has made progress in controlling the flow of migrants. He promised to propose visa-travel for Turks early next month if Turkey meets other requirements listed in the European Union action plan.

    I'm Dorothy Gundy.

    This story was based on reporting from VOANews and other sources. Ashley Thompson adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    throughout - adv. in or to every part of; from the beginning to the end

    migration - adj. of or relating to the movement from one country or place to another

    commissioner - n. a member of a commission; an official who is responsible for a government office or part of a government agency