BRUSSELS -- European Union officials and lawmakers signed documents formalizing a visa-liberalization deal with Georgia on March 1.

Diplomats familiar with the issue told RFE/RL that the documents will be published in the official EU journal on March 8 and will enter into force 20 days later, enabling Georgians to travel visa-free to the EU as of March 28.

That moment has been eagerly awaited in Georgia, a former Soviet republic that has long sought closer ties with Europe and has faced persistent efforts by Russia to increase Moscow's influence following a brief war in 2008.

Officials and diplomats are signed a document on a visa-suspension mechanism that has been drafted as a condition for the implementation of visa-liberalization agreements for non-EU countries.

The suspension mechanism allows for visa-free regimes to be halted under certain circumstances once they are in place.

On February 28, the EU decided to move ahead with visa liberalization for Ukraine, another country whose efforts to tighten ties with the West have led to Russian aggression. EU ambassadors are set to endorse that deal on March 2, but more steps are needed before it can go into effect.

The visa-liberalization deal will apply to all EU countries except Britain and Ireland, and also to non-EU Schengen Area countries Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

</s>BRUSSELS: European Union member states on Monday approved visa-free travel for Georgia, after agreeing safeguards to prevent any upsurge in arrivals from the former Soviet satellite.

Georgia, along with much larger Ukraine, has been urging the EU to grant visa-free travel so as to show its citizens that close ties with Europe can deliver concrete benefits.

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the decision marked “a historic day for Georgia and its citizens.”

“Today’s adoption recognises the tremendous efforts undertaken by the Georgian authorities and the Georgian people to carry out far-reaching and difficult reforms,” Avramopoulos said, according to a statement of his remarks in Tblisi, the Georgian capital.

“These reforms also bring Georgia closer to EU standards, facilitating cooperation with the European Union and bringing the country a step forward on its European path,” he added.

Under the accord, which now requires formal signature by the 28 member states and the European Parliament, Georgian citizens will be able to travel visa-free for 90 days in the EU during any 180-day period.

The accord does not apply to the United Kingdom or Ireland.

The original plan caused some concern that Georgians might abuse the system to come and stay illegally in a European Union still grappling with the aftermath of the 2015 migrant crisis.

In December, member states decided to allow visa requirements to be reintroduced at short notice if there was an upsurge in arrivals.</s>“These reforms also bring Georgia closer to EU standards, facilitating cooperation with the European Union and bringing the country a step forward on its European path,” he added.

Under the accord, which now requires formal signature by the 28 member states and the European Parliament, Georgian citizens will be able to travel visa-free for 90 days in the EU during any 180-day period. The accord does not apply to the United Kingdom or Ireland. The original plan caused some concern that Georgians might abuse the system to come and stay illegally in a European Union still grappling with the aftermath of the 2015 migrant crisis. In December, member states decided to allow visa requirements to be reintroduced at short notice if there was an upsurge in arrivals.</s>Negotiators for the European Parliament and European Union member states have reached a deal to allow Ukrainian citizens to enter the political bloc without a visa.

Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports will be able to enter the EU for up to 90 days during any 180-day period, the parliament said in a statement on March 1. The entry is valid for business, tourism or family stays.

Ukrainians have eagerly awaited the advent of visa-free travel after being stuck in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the east for three years. They see the visa deal is a symbol of closer ties to the EU.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Twitter hailed the move as a "formal, but important step on the road."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said earlier this month that visa liberalization between the EU and Ukraine is expected to come into force this summer.

The deal still has to be endorsed by parliament as a whole and the EU states.

Based on reporting by dpa, Interfax, and TASS</s>Visa lib for #Georgia likely to be published in the EU official journal on 8 march so + 20 days means visa free travel on 28 march</s>"Once the change enters into force, and provided they have biometric passports, they will be able to enter the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day-period for business, tourist or family purposes," said the statement of the press service.

According to the document, the deal has to be endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee and Parliament as a whole, before being formally approved by the Council of Ministers.

Commenting on the announcement, Kirill Koktysh, Russian political scientist and associate professor of International Politics at Moscow-based MGIMO University, called it a PR stunt and added that the final decision on the issue might drag on for years.

He further suggested that the EU will try to hold back on the final decision for as long as possible.

"We understand that the final decision of the visa free travel will be made by certain member states, therefore the decision of the European Parliament doesn't offer any guarantee at all," Koktysh told Sputnik.

"It is only too clear that the actual decision will be subject to so many conditions which will be predeterminedly unacceptable to the majority of Ukrainians," he said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Twitter hailed the move as a "formal, but important step on the road."

​Commenting on the remarks of the Ukrainian leader, Kirill Koktysh said that it is only too understandable as Poroshenko's legitimacy depends on the decision.

The Ukraine's president has been promising his citizens visa-free travel to the EU for nearly three years. It was part of a partnership accord signed back in 2014.

"The EU and Kiev began visa liberalisation negotiations in 2008. At the end of 2015, the European Commission concluded that Ukraine had made the necessary progress and had met all the benchmarks, despite the exceptional internal and external challenges it faced in recent years, and presented a proposal to grant its citizens visa-free access to the EU from April 2016."

The visa waiver will apply to all EU member states except Ireland and the United Kingdom. It does not confer a right to work in the EU.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has moved a step closer to granting visa-free entry to citizens of Ukraine.

Negotiators from EU member countries and the European Parliament reached a deal late Tuesday to allow Ukrainians who have biometric passports to enter the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The visa waiver will apply to all members of the 28-nation EU except Britain and Ireland. It won’t give Ukrainians the right to work in the EU.

The deal now has to be formally endorsed by the full European Parliament and by ministers from EU member countries.

European Parliament lawmaker Mariya Gabriel said that approving the visa waiver “is an important step forward toward reforming Ukrainian society by bringing people together, building bridges across borders.”
The European Union formally grants Georgian citizens visa-free travel to its member states, with the exception of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The signed documents will be published on March 8, and officially enter into force on March 28.