BRUSSELS, April 20 - The European Commission has said Ukraine is ready for its nationals to enter the EU without visas, putting the Netherlands in a tricky position, EU Observer reported.

A commission report on Wednesday said Ukraine had met all criteria, including technical items such as passport security and political demands such as the creation of new anti-corruption agencies.

The EU commissioner in charge, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said the visa move would help in “strengthening business, social and cultural ties” and praised Kiev for “achieving far-reaching and difficult reforms.”

“I hope that the European Parliament and the Council will adopt our proposal very soon,” he added, referring to the EU Council, where member states meet.

The commission assessment concludes eight years of bilateral talks on the issue and has symbolic value.

Ukraine shortly after the pro-Western Orange Revolution in 2004 lifted visas for EU nationals for the sake of better ties. But EU consulates maintained harsh entry conditions, making Ukrainian people feel unloved by Europe.

The recent Dutch referendum, in which voters urged the government to scrap the EU-Ukraine association treaty, also caused pain.

Politicians from eastern and central Europe immediately welcomed the commission's recommendation on Wednesday.

“European choice of Ukrainian people irreversible,” Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite said on Twitter.

The Czech Republic “will always support clear EU perspective for UA [Ukraine] - this is [a] key step,” Czech EU affairs minister Tomas Prouza said.

An EU source told this website that a council working group on visas will hold initial talks between member states in the first week of May.

The source said some EU states are keen to give Ukraine a positive response to compensate for the Dutch referendum.

But the commission green light puts Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a tight spot.

Rutte's own political party, the Liberals, have said visa liberalization is premature.

The party's foreign affairs spokesman, MP Han ten Broeke, earlier this month said he did not believe that Ukraine has met all the required criteria. “The European Commission is free to propose what it wants; that does not mean that we agree,” he said.

Rutte is also holding off on a decision on the EU-Ukraine association treaty until after the UK referendum on EU membership in late June.

The visa-free accord and the EU treaty rejected by Dutch voters are not officially linked. But if he agrees to visa-free while the treaty question is unsolved, it would expose him to accusations of not listening to Dutch people’s concerns. (eu/ez)