Ukraine clearly fulfills all the criteria within the visa-free regime with the European Union. As soon as the epidemic situation allows, Ukrainian citizens will be able to travel to the EU countries again. This was emphasized by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following the 22nd Ukraine-EU Summit.
"The European Union notes Ukraine's significant progress in implementing key reforms over the past year. This is the introduction of the land market, the adoption of the banking law, the development of decentralization, the launch of the Supreme Anticorruption Court," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian authorities would not stop on the way to positive changes in the country. Further priorities of Ukraine, in particular strengthening the rule of law in our country, were also discussed within the Summit.
According to the President, the partners from the European Union assured that nothing threatens the visa-free regime, and Ukraine clearly meets all the necessary criteria.
"As soon as the epidemic situation allows, Ukrainians will be able to plan trips to Europe again," he said.
Answering questions from the media, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had always considered land reform the most difficult to implement, as it could not be implemented throughout Ukraine's independence. However, the most difficult was the anticorruption reform.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine stressed that the Ukrainian authorities have already taken a number of important steps to combat corruption.
"The Anticorruption Court operates. We have returned criminal liability for illicit enrichment. We rebooted the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine. Now the Verkhovna Rada already has a law on the judiciary - this is the beginning of judicial reform. And also - the law on the reform of the Security Service of Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
He noted that Western partners helped Ukraine implement judicial reform. In particular, the Venice Commission will provide an opinion on the bill on judicial reform in our country.
"This will be a serious fundamental argument later in the conversation with the people’s deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and with the Constitutional Court," the President said.
President of the European Council Charles Michel noted that the EU supported the Ukrainian government in advancing reforms in the country.
"After the election, we saw a very strong commitment of President Zelenskyy to the reforms - with concrete results and success. I know that it is not easy, because there are difficulties, obstacles, and he really needs a significant political will," Charles Michel emphasized.
