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Publication of EU report on visa-free regime with Ukraine may be postponed — source

The publication may be postponed till the period after the European Council (the EU summit of December 17-18)

© EPA Archive/OLIVIER HOSLET

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Issue of visa-free regime between EU and Ukraine will be considered in 2016 — source

BRUSSELS, December 14. /TASS/. The publication of the European Commission’s report on the preparation for the introduction of a visa-free travel regime with Ukraine may be postponed until next week, a source in the Council of the European Union said on Monday.

"For some technical considerations the publication of the report may be postponed from December 15 till the period after the European Council (the EU summit of December 17-18). Maybe, till next week," the diplomat said.

It became known last week that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will pay a brief visit to Brussels on December 16 — in the run-up to the EU summit. Poroshenko intends to discuss issues of preparations for the introduction of a Ukraine-EU visa-free regime with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk.

Kiev was disappointed at the EU's Eastern Partnership Summit, held in Riga in May, with the visa-free agreement postponed once again, and Brussels declaring that it was not prepared to even consider the country as a candidate for EU membership any time soon. At the May summit, Brussels presented Kiev with a series of 17 'priority tasks' for visa liberalization, requiring that the country comprehensively reform its legal system, carry out further privatization, and implement economic liberalization measures aimed at easing European companies' ability to do business in the country.

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