EU and Switzerland citizens will be able to come to Ukraine without a visa in the summer season

Ukrainian border guards are ready to introduce a visa -free regime from May 1 for traveling citizens from the countries of the European Union and Switzerland to Ukraine. This was stated by the head of the State Border Service Nikolai Litvin. He recalled that by decree of the President of the country Viktor Yushchenko, on March 31, a visa -free regime for Western Europeans is introduced for four months - until September 1.

“No problems at the border are expected. Lack of visas facilitates the work of the border guards. They will only have to check the reality of the passport. This significantly accelerates the passage of the border by foreigners,” Litvin emphasized.

According to experts, the innovation introduced after two days at the border crossing will increase the flow of tourists from the EU countries by 15-20 percent, the head of the border service noted. The immediate reason for establishing a visa-free regime was the Eurovision-2005 song contest, which will be held in Kyiv from May 19 to 21. It is expected that the guests of this holiday will be tens of thousands of people from European countries.

In the presidential decree, the introduction of a visa -free regime is justified by the "implementation of the strategic course of Ukraine to integrate into the European community, the creation of conditions for foreign investors, and the active development of contacts between people."

The temporary action of the visa -free regime introduced by Ukraine unilaterally will then be analyzed by all aspects in order to further liberalize the conditions of mutual trips of citizens of Ukraine, EU countries and Switzerland. In response, officials of the European Union promised in the coming months to simplify the visa regime for Ukrainian businessmen, journalists, students, cultural and science workers, ITAR-TASS reports.

In Kyiv, it is not excluded that some Western Europeans will try during this period for various reasons to get to Russia from the territory of Ukraine, but border guards promise to prevent their departure in the Russian direction. Note that a visa -free regime is valid between Ukraine and Russia.

Earlier it was reported that Ukraine is ready to go to the liberalization of the visa regime with the United States . This was the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko stated during his trip to the United States, speaking in the USA Chamber of Complex before representatives of American business circles.

Communicating with businessmen, Yushchenko noted that the Ukrainian authorities have already appealed to the European Commission and the American government with a request to help equip the boundaries and customs points, bring them into line with European standards. With the restraint at customs, Ukraine expects an increase in budget revenues, the president said.