By Hajer M’tiri

PARIS

The European Parliament on Thursday approved a visa-waiver scheme for Ukrainian citizens travelling to the EU.

"Under the new law, 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," a European Parliament statement read.

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

"Ukraine has achieved all the benchmarks, so the visa requirement should be lifted," said rapporteur for the proposal, Mariya Gabriel, 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".

The measure is likely to come into effect in June but still needs to be formally adopted by the Council of Ministers.

Two months ago, European lawmakers passed similar legislation for Georgia. Both former Soviet states have long urged the EU to grant their citizens visa-free travel to help deepen ties with the West.

In 2014, Georgia and Ukraine signed the EU Association Agreement to deepen political and economic ties to EU, including free trade.