EU ready to lift visas for Moldova, but not Ukraine

(BRUSSELS) - The EU's executive gave its green light Friday to visa-free travel for Moldova's 3.5 million people but said Ukraine and Georgia needed to make more progress before lifting their visa requirements.

The European Commission said in a statement that it would consider immediately after a summit in Vilnius at the end of November "presenting a legislative proposal to lift visa requirements for Moldovan citizens holding a biometric passport."

Leaders of the 28-nation bloc are to gather in the Lithuanian capital on November 28 and 29 for talks with six former Soviet bloc nations, including Moldova, Ukraine and Geogia, aimed at tightening trade and political ties as a first step to joining the EU.

Moldova won Brussels' approval for much-prized visa-free travel within the EU after a series of reforms including providing secure travel documents and improving border and migration management.

Ukraine, which has a population of 45.5 million and started talks on the matter with the EU in 2008, had made "substantial progress" but needed to do more on biometric passports, anti-corruption provisions, anti-discrimination measures and asylum, the statement said.

Georgia, which began EU visa-free travel in June last year, "has made very good progress in the first phase" of moving to lift visas for its 4.5 million citizens.