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Ukraine seeks to join Schengen zone

Negotiations on the liberalization of the labor movement are not on agenda.

Ukraine seeks to join Schengen zone
Photo: Photo: EPA / UPG

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze says Ukraine will seek accession to the Schengen zone.

"One of the tasks that we is the beginning of a dialogue regarding the accession of Ukraine to the Schengen zone," Klimpush-Tsintsadze told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday, 18 July.

Also, she said, it is necessary to negotiate "road maps" to liberalize the access of Ukrainian services to the EU market and vice versa. She believes that Kyiv and Brussels need to agree on "road maps" for telecommunications, postal, financial services, sea transport, access to the digital market.

At the same time, the deputy prime minister does not consider it necessary to negotiate the liberalization of the labor movement as focusing on creating opportunities for the realization of citizens of Ukraine in their homeland is more important.

Starting 11 June, Ukrainians can travel without visas on biometric passports to the 26 EU member states except the UK and Ireland (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Cyprus Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Estonia).

Also, the citizens of Ukraine can visit on biometric passport four more states that are members of the Schengen area but not in the European Union: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Visa-free regime allows Ukrainian citizens to stay in the territory of the EU countries for not more than 90 days during a 180-day period.

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