BRUSSELS, April 6 – In a major foreign policy achievement for Kiev, Ukrainian citizens will soon be able to visit EU countries without first obtaining visas.

The development is a significant one for the former Soviet state, where travel to the West had been for decades an almost impossible dream for ordinary citizens.

Under an informal legislative deal worked out between the EU Parliament and EU Council on Thursday, Ukrainians who hold a biometric passport will be able to enter the EU without a visa for 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism, to visit relatives or friends, or for business purposes, but not to work.

The exemption applies to all EU countries, except Ireland and the UK, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

“Ukraine has achieved all the benchmarks, so the visa requirement should be lifted”, noted rapporteur for the proposal Mariya Gabriel (European People's Party), adding that the visa waiver will be “another very strong message that Ukraine is a key partner for the European Union in the Eastern Partnership”.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko praised the move.

" I congratulate all who have done their best to this purpose! And I congratulate you, the Ukrainian people, I congratulate you, Ukraine," Poroshenko said at the 10th Kiev Security Forum on Thursday.

The legislation, approved by 521 votes to 75 with 36 abstentions, still needs to be formally adopted by the Council of Ministers. It is likely to enter into force in June, 20 days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.

Before exempting Ukrainians from visa requirements, the EU strengthened the visa waiver suspension mechanism, to allow visas to be reintroduced more easily in exceptional cases.

The deputies of the European Parliament have supported by a majority of votes granting a visa-free regime to Ukrainian citizens by the European Union,

On February 28 during consultations of EU member states, representatives of the European Parliament and the European Commission, it was agreed to launch visa liberalization for Ukrainian citizens.

The trialogue between the EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament on granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine ended on March 1.

The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States of the European Union (COREPER) on March 2 confirmed a decision reached within the framework of the triad.

On March 9, the European Parliament Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs (LIBE) approved a draft on including Ukraine into the list of third countries whose citizens are canceled visa requirements.

Thus, the completion of the process of liberalization of the visa regime requires several more procedural points, in particular, the approval by the Council of the EU.

After this, the document must be signed by the president of the European Parliament and the representative of the country presiding in the EU and published in the official journal of the EU.

The decision to introduce a visa-free regime will come into force 20 days after its publication. (nr/ez)