KIEV, May 27 – The European Commission has approved the launch of the second phase of the EU visa liberalization action plan for Ukraine.

"It [the European Commission] concludes that Ukraine has put in place the necessary legislative, policy and institutional framework and meets the first-phase requirements of the visa dialogue. The second phase, where the Commission will be checking the implementation of all these rules, can therefore be launched," the Commission said in a statement posted on its Web site on Tuesday evening.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed that this decision is first and foremost recognition of the important legislative reforms adopted in the recent months."