The fall of the Berlin Wall stimulated Europe to put many efforts in economic, cultural and political integration to break up the dividing lines. However, for the Eastern European countries, and for Ukraine in particular, movement of people within Europe is getting more complicated. Enlargement of the European Union to include the Central European countries in 2004 and, consequently, the expansion of the Schengen zone in 2007 resulted in creation of new visa barriers for Ukrainian citizens. Visa differentiation became a new reality in the expanded Europe.

In May 2005, Ukraine unilaterally abolished visa requirements for the EU citizens in order to enhance integration processes and to stimulate tourism and people-to-people contacts. However, this goodwill gesture has had no response. Independent monitoring of visa procedures proves systematic humiliation of Ukrainians’ dignity in the Consulates and disrespect for their human rights.

Being aware of the importance of the perception of visa issues in bilateral relations between Ukraine and the European Union among the Ukrainian citizens; and taking into account the expansion of the Schengen area as of December 21, 2007, we:

1. Welcome the ratification of the Agreement between the European Community and Ukraine on the Facilitation of the Issuance of Visas by the Council of the European Union; and appeal to the Ukrainian Parliament to ratify this Agreement as soon as possible.
2. Call on the governments of Ukraine and the EU Member States to maximize their efforts to implement the new visa agreement and to secure further visa liberalization for all citizens of Ukraine. We insist that the introduction of the additional provisions to the Agreement (according to the mechanism envisaged by Articles 12 and 14 of the Agreement) should be one of the first steps in this direction. The addition is to provide for facilitation of visa procedures for representatives of civil society organisations, as it is foreseen in the similar agreements between the European Union and Moldova and Western Balkan countries.
3. Call on the EU Member States to adhere to the harmonised procedures of issuing visas and to avoid introduction of national restrictions, which complicate visa procedures already envisaged for Ukrainian citizens by the Agreement.
4. Call on the EU and Ukraine delegations responsible for negotiations on the new enhanced agreement between Ukraine and the EU to record a set of measures, criteria and conditions which would enable Ukraine to obtain a visa-free regime with the EU.
5. Welcome the initiative of adoption of the new comprehensive European Community Visa Code which will promote a transparent visa policy of the EU Member States. We call on the European Community to introduce a principle of non-discrimination and equal visa regime by all EU Member States towards Ukraine.
6. Appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to make every effort to develop an active dialogue with the EU Member States and the EU institutions to remove those elements of visa procedures which groundlessly complicate the process of issuing visas for Ukrainian citizens.
7. Appeal to the Embassies and the Consulates of the European Union Member States to establish regular consultations on visa and migration issues with participation of representatives of non-governmental organisations.
8. Call on the Ukrainian Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to take persistent measures in order to meet Ukraine the criteria of a visa-free state in a short-run perspective; to enhance Ukrainian citizens’ awareness of the legal conditions of staying abroad; and to activate efforts for development of effective national migration and border management policies.

Initiators:

• Open Ukraine Foundation
• International Renaissance Foundation
• Centre for Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy of Ukraine

Signatories:

• Bohdan Havrylyshyn, Member of Rome Club
• Andrey Kurkov, writer, Ukraine
• Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS), pan-European network of think-tanks, Prague, Czech Republic
• Oksana Zabuzhko, writer, Ukraine
• Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, Honorary President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine
• Myroslav Popovych, Director, Institute of Philosophy, Ukraine
• Valeriy Chaly, Deputy Director, Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov, Ukraine
• Victor Pinchuk, Founder and Board Member of Yalta European Strategy (YES), Ukraine
• Sergiy Taruta, Chairman of the Board, Industrial Union of Donbas, Ukraine
• Oleg Popov, General Director, System Capital Management, Ukraine
• Yaryna Borenko, Head of the Board of Pro-European Civil Society Organisations of Ukraine
• Andre Wilkens, Director, Open Society Institute - Brussels, Belgium
• Association of International Car Transporters
• Alba Lamberti, European Council on Foreign Relations
• Michael Emerson, Researcher, CEPS, Brussels, Belgium
• Arkady Moshes, Researcher, Finland
• Philipp Fluri, Executive Director, The Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) – Brussels, Belgium
• Jacek Kucharczyk, Institute of Public Affairs, Warsaw, Poland
• David Kral, Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Prague, Czech Republic
• International Centre for Policy Studies, Ukraine
• Ukrainian Association of the Rome Club
• Edith Mueller, former member of the European Parliament, Berlin
• Marieluise Beck, member of the German Bundestag, Germany
• Roman Petrov, President, Ukrainian European Studies Association
• Ilko Kucheriv, President, Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Ukraine
• Ihor Shevchenko, Founder of Young Leaders Forum, Ukraine
• Ihor Popov, Committee of the Voters of Ukraine
• Yury Tretiak, National Association of Regional Development Agencies, Ukraine
• Oleksiy Tolkachov, Head of the Board, European Association of Ukrainians, Brussels
• Oleksandr Bogomolov, Centre for Middle East Studies, Ukraine
• Serhiy Hrabovskyi, Association of Ukrainian Writers
• Oleg Rybachuk, Adviser to the President of Ukraine, Ukraine
• Oleleksandr Yarmola, Head singer of "Haydamaky", Ukraine
• Oleksandr Solontay, Head of the Foundation of Regional Initiatives, Ukraine
• Centre for European Unity Studies, Donetsk, Ukraine
• Volodymyr Aryev, Journalist, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine
• Volodymyr Prytula, Journalist, Committee on Monitoring of the Freedom of Press in Crimea, Ukraine
• Ihor Kohut, Chairman of the Board, Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives, Ukraine
• Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation, PAUCI, Warsaw - Kyiv
• Helmut Domke, Chairman of the Board, Stiftung West-Ostliche Begegnungen, Berlin
• Tetiana Danyliv, Director, Resource Centre for NGOs "Gurt"
• Alex Romaniuc, Head of Europe Programmes, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, London, UK
• Marko Bojcun, Lecturer, London Metropolitan University, London, UK
• Oleg Gariaga, Executive Director, Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, Ukraine
• Tamara Tratsevych, Head of the Board, Human Rights Centre "Tree of Life", Kharkiv, Ukraine
• Bohdan Hud, Director, Institute of European Integration, Lviv National University, Ukraine
• Mariya Boguslav, Secretary General, National Campaign Committee of Council of Europe Youth Campaign for Diversity, Human Rights and Participation "All different – All equal" in Ukraine, Kyiv
• Ihor Kaspruk, Director, European Dialog, Lviv, Ukraine
• Oksana Volosheniuk, Academy of Ukrainian Press
• Oksana Hryhorieva, Youth Council of the Atlantic Council of Ukraine
• Maria Zajets, president, European Law Students Association, Kyiv
• Oksana Andrusiak, Vice President, European Youth Parliament, Ukraine
• Natalia Belitser, Researcher, Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracy, Ukraine
• Marsym Latsyba, Ukrainian Centre for Independent Political Research
• Henadiy Maksak, President, Polissia Foundation for International and Regional Studies, Chernihiv, Ukraine
• Hanspeter Neuner, West-Ost-Gesellschaft – Stuttgart, Germany
• Yaroslav Lysak, President, Ukrainian Chamber of AIESEC
• Nadia Bohza, Director, Mykolaiv Oblast Scientific Library named after Gmyriov
• Dr. Andreas Umland, DAAD lecturer, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, German Academic Exchange Service, Kyiv
• Information and Analytical Center "Civic Space"