Visa-free-europe.eu

THE EU VISA PRACTICES IN 2012: ARE THERE ANY CHANGES? Information agency “Ukrinform”, Kyiv, 8 / 16 B. Khmelnytskogo str. Event organizer: Europe without Barriers at support of the European Programme of the International Renaissance Foundation 11.10 – 11.30 Registration

11.30 – 11.55 Welcome and opening remarks

Positive and Negative tendencies for Ukraine in the “Visa” year 2012
Iryna Sushko, Europe without Barriers
Towards freedom of movement: priorities and assistance
Dmytro Shulga, director, European Programme, International Renaissance Foundation. The prospects of the Visa-Free Europe Coalition activity
Joanna Fomina, Coordinator of the “Friendly EU Border Project”, Stefan Batory Foundation, Warsaw.
11.55 – 13.15 Session 1. Presentations

Visas under supervision of independent experts: research outcomes
Iryna Sushko, Olga Suprunenko, (Europe without Barriers, Kyiv)
What’s new in Ukraine’ regions? Visa practices of the EU consulates by the views of
experts participated in the monitoring
Volodymyr Kipen (Donetsk Institute of Social Research and Political Analysis, Donetsk) Svitlana Mitraeva (Center for Strategic Partnership, Uzhgorod) Andriy Lepak (Lviv Legal Society, Lviv) Petro Verzun (Association for youth rights protection, Lutsk) Olga Miroshnyk (Local Democracy Foundation, Kharkiv) Denys Kuzmin (Research Center “Global”, Odessa) Oksana Jaciuk (Vinnytsia Regional Information Centre "Creative") Friendly, neutral, controversial and problematic consulates. How the EU consulate’
visa practices differ in Ukraine?
Oleksandr Sushko, Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, Maryana Kuzio, Europe without Barriers 13.15 – 13.40 Questions and answers, discussion
13.40 – 13.50 coffee-break

13.50 – 14.30 What is the current visa situation in the Eastern Partnership countries?

Leonid Litra, Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", Moldova Tamara Pataraia, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, Georgia Maria Amarian, Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) David Chang, Center for Economic and Social Development, Azerbaijzan Yashar Jafarli, “Reserve and retired officers” Public Union
14.30 – 15.00 Questions and answers, discussion
15.00 – 15.10 How to assist the “victims” of visa denials? Experience of foreign partners.
Peter Guikema, VisaHolland activist, Netherlands Karolina Grot, Institute of Public affairs, Warsaw (tbc) Marta Jaroszewicz, Centre for Eastern Studies, Warsaw (tbc)
15.10 – 15-20 Questions and answers, discussion


15.20 – 15-30 Round-table conclusions
The event summarizes outcomes of independent monitoring (the six wave) of the EU consulate’ visa issuance to the citizens of Ukraine aimed at thorough assessment of availability of the EU members state’ visa to Ukrainians and to make evaluation of the level and quality of implementation of the EU-Ukraine Facilitation Agreement and Visa Code of the EU. The project has been supported by the European Programme of the International Renaissance Foundation The foreign experts’ participation in the event is held within the project: "Independent expertise and advocacy for visa liberalisation beetwen the EU and the EaP countries" at support of the “East-East” Programme of the International

Source: http://visa-free-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sep24_Program-draft.pdf