KIEV, Dec. 18 – Following the positive assessment of the progress report on the implementation by Ukraine of its Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP), the European Commission will present in early 2016 a legislative proposal to the Council and the European Parliament to lift visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens holding a biometric passport, said European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos.

"The progress achieved by Ukraine in the implementation of the second phase benchmarks has been noteworthy, in particular given the exceptional circumstances and the internal and external challenges the country faces. Based on the Commission's assessment, the commitments taken by the Ukrainian leadership, and the outcome of the continuous monitoring and reporting carried out since the launch of EU-Ukraine Visa Liberalisation Dialogue in October 2008, the Commission considers that Ukraine meets all the benchmarks set in respect of the four blocks of the second phase of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan," said Avramopoulos at a briefing in Brussels on Friday.