Panel discussion "Visa Liberalisation for Ukraine - Is the EU Ready To Support It?"

On 1 December 2015, the EaP CSF will co-organize the panel discussion: "Visa Liberalisation for Ukraine - Is the EU Ready to Support It?" hosted at the European Parliament by MEPs Michaela Šojdrová, Sandra Kalniete and Jaromír Štětina.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Michaela Šojdrová, MEP (EPP), Sandra Kalniete, MEP (EPP Vice-Chair), Jaromír Štětina, MEP (EPP), Iryna Sushko, Executive Director, Europe without Barriers, and Dmytro Shulga, the European Programme Director, International Renaissance Foundation (IRF)

Ukraine has never been so close to the abolition of the visa regime with the EU as it is now, but this process can still be delayed or even disrupted due to migration risks arising from the annexation of Crimea and armed conflict in the East of Ukraine. Some data signals an increase in the number of asylum seekers from Ukraine, which may be used as a pretext to defer the decision on Ukraine. The experts will offer their alternative assessment on the state of implementation of Visa Liberalization Action Plan and present the Migration Security Map containing sectorial counterarguments to the widely spread myths of a massive exodus of Ukrainians to the EU.

The panellists and discussants will debate the current security and migration challenges influencing the Visa-Free prospect of Ukraine and the EU MS willingness to support the introduction of the Visa-Free regime.

Panellists:

Iryna Sushko, Executive director, Civic Organization Europe without Barriers, Ukraine
Piotr Kazmierkiewicz, Expert, Migration and Eastern Policy Programme, Institute of Public Affairs, Poland
Aleksandra Eriksson, Swedish journalist member of the Östgruppen, the Swedish Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, Visa Free Europe Coalition member, Sweden
Lana Zerkal, Deputy Minister, MFA of Ukraine or Roman Andarak, Head of Unit "Justice, Liberty and Security, Humanitarian and Cross-border Cooperation", MFA of Ukraine

Moderator: Dmytro Shulga, European Programme Director, International Renaissance Foundation (IRF), Ukraine

Discussants:

Joanna Fomina, Researcher and policy analyst, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland
Alexandra Stiglmayer, Senior Analyst, European Stability Initiative, Brussels, Belgium
Maryana Kuzio, Policy analyst on visa liberalization, Europe without Barriers, Kyiv, Ukraine
Iryna Savchenko, Migration analyst, Europe without Barriers, Kyiv, Ukraine
Kateryna Kulchytska, Migration expert and policy analyst, Europe without Barriers, Ukraine

Event Agenda

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