Ukraine and Georgia will not receive a visa-free regime at the EU summit in Riga

The European Commission states that neither Ukraine nor Georgia will receive a visa-free regime with the EU at the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga at the end of this month.

Speaking in Brussels after the European Commission published its annual report on the visa regime with both countries, the Speaker of the Commission Natasha Berto said that the commission is aware of the desire of Ukraine and Georgia to get visa-free status at the summit, but this is “very ambitious in terms of terms”.

She added that the European Commission is ready to move on in the next report at the end of 2015, subject to progress.

The report of the European Commission says that both Ukraine and Georgia need to do more in the fight against corruption and human trafficking. Georgia was called upon to make progress in the fight against drug trafficking, while Ukraine Brussels called for increased legislation on organized crime and the fight against discrimination.

Moldova received a visa-free regime with the EU in 2014 and remains only one of the six Eastern Partnership countries, which has received this status.