Following the positive assessment of the progress report on the implementation by Ukraine of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), the European Commission will present in early 2016 a legislative proposal to the Council and the European Parliament to lift visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens holding a biometric passport, said European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos.

"The progress achieved by Ukraine in the implementation of the second phase benchmarks has been noteworthy, in particular given the exceptional circumstances and the internal and external challenges the country faces. Based on the Commission's assessment, the commitments taken by the Ukrainian leadership, and the outcome of the continuous monitoring and reporting carried out since the launch of EU-Ukraine Visa Liberalisation Dialogue in October 2008, the Commission considers that Ukraine meets all the benchmarks set in respect of the four blocks of the second phase of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan," said Avramopoulos at a briefing in Brussels on Friday.

He noted that since the fifth progress report on Ukraine's implementation of the VLAP released in May 2015, Ukraine managed to achieve a necessary progress in the reforms, of which fulfillment will grant Ukrainians a visa-free travel to EU states.

"I congratulate the Ukrainian leadership on the progress made towards completing the reform process which will bring important benefits to the citizens of Ukraine in the future. The hard work towards achieving this significant goal has paid off. Now it is important to keep upholding all the standards," he stressed.

Previously, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that last obstacles for Ukrainians to achieve visa liberalization with EU states have been eliminated during the talks of the representatives of European Commission with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.