Kyiv not to receive visa liberalization with EU at Riga summit, EU Commission confirms

The European Commission has stated that neither Ukraine nor Georgia will get visa-free travel to the EU's Schengen zone at the Riga Eastern Partnership Summit later this month.

Spokeswoman of the European Commission Natasha Bertaud said this, speaking in Brussels on May 8 after the EU Commission published its annual visa report on both countries, Radio Liberty reported.

"It is very ambitious in terms of timing," she said, adding that the European Commission was aware of the desire of Ukraine and Georgia to get visa-free status at the summit.

The EU spokeswoman said the commission was willing to move forward the next report to the end of 2015 if provided progress was made.

The report stated both Ukraine and Georgia needed to do more to implement legislation in areas like anticorruption and human-trafficking.

Georgia was urged to do more to tackle the trafficking of drugs, whereas Brussels urged Ukraine to step up laws concerning organized crime and antidiscrimination.

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