Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-21-Speech-1-146"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2008-04-21"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Cost of obtaining a visa for Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"lt"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20080421.17.1-146"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2008-04-21-Speech-1-1472
lpv:speaker	lp:Laima Liucija Andrikienė2
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Tėvynės sąjunga (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (2007-10-09--2009-07-13)3 member; DROI (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 member; BUDG (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Delegation for relations with Belarus (2008-01-15--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 substitute; AFET (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Temporary Committee on Climate Change (2007-05-10--2009-02-04)3
lpv:translated text	"Madam President, whatever has been said about the cost of visas for Belarusians and Ukrainians, there is no doubt that urgent decisions should be taken on this issue and that they should be taken by the European Union. On the subject of visas, the European Union has signed a visa facilitation agreement with Ukraine, as well as with Russia, Moldova and the Western Balkan states. However, negotiations on the agreement with Belarus have not even begun, because Alexander Lukashenko is not interested in offering Belarusian citizens the possibility of seeing the standard of life in the free world, especially if they find it to be much higher than that in Belarus. The issue of the cost of visas remains important not only for Belarus, but for Ukraine too. The fact that Ukrainian citizens have to pay EUR 35 for a Schengen visa does not solve the problem, because only certain small groups of Ukrainian citizens qualify for the visa facilitation regime. The case of Belarus is even more eloquent – Belarusians have to pay more for a Schengen visa – that is, they have to pay the price for Lukashenko’s dictate. Is the visa regime adequate in view of the situation on the EU’s Eastern border? I do not think so. According to statistics, Poland alone issues about 600 000 visas to Ukrainian citizens each year; as a comparison, the number of visas issued by all the Schengen countries in the same period is only 300 000. Prior to joining the Schengen area, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland maintained very low visa prices for Belarusian citizens: Lithuania and Poland charged only EUR 5 and Latvia issued visas free of charge. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia used to issue 400 000 visas to Belarusians, i.e. three times more than the number issued by the old Schengen countries. Would you say it is a good thing that only 26% of Belarusian citizens have ever visited an EU country, and that 60% of Belarusians have never seen a foreign person during the last three years? Of course not. We, the European Union, must find an efficient way to solve this issue, as we know from our own experience that it is better to see the EU once than to hear about it a hundred times."@en1

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