The event will be held in the framework of the project Preparing and launching the campaign for visa-free Europe, supported by the International Renaissance Foundation.
Experts from Europe without Barriers together with the Hungarian colleagues from Center for EU Enlargement Studies, Hungarian Europe Society and Center for Arts and Culture will discuss the actual issues of the EU visa policy towards the Eastern partners, paying special attention to the cases of Hungary and Ukraine.
The well-known Hungarian politicians, diplomats, representatives of the NGOs and journalists are invited to participate in the discussion.
The round table will be will be accompanied with the presentation of the art photo exhibition: “Visas? What’s the reason?, focused on the cases of the famous Ukrainian journalists, academics and sportsmen faced serious difficulties in obtaining visas for traveling to the EU area.
During the round table the experts will discuss the following issues:
– Visa issuance by the EU Member States in the Eastern Europe: comparative insight
– Visa “filter” of the EU travel /immigration policy: who is suffering, who is benefiting from them?
– Visa liberalization for the Eastern Partnership countries: the role of neighbors.
– Hungarian experience related to the implementation of internal reforms before the Schengen Area accession.
– Successful case of Hungarian Visa Policy in Ukraine. Is it possible to extend this practice on other Schengen and EU Members States?
– Ukraine’s progress towards visa liberalization: what is now, what lies ahead?
Key speakers
Iryna Sushko, Head of Civic Initiative Europe without Barriers, Kyiv, Ukraine
Maryana Kuzio, project manager, CI Europe without Barriers
Oleksandr Sushko, Research director of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, leading expert of the CI Europe without Barriers, Kyiv, Ukraine
Prof. Pater Balazs, Foreign Minister of Hungary in 2009-2010, Director of the Center for EU Enlargement Studies, Budapest, Hungary
Zselyke Tofalvi, Center for EU Enlargement Studies, Budapest, Hungary
Ishtvan Balog, First Secretary (cultural and humanitarian issues), Embassy of Ukraine, Budapest, Hungary
Attila Melegh, Demographic Research Institute, Hungarian Central Statistical Office, expert of the Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest, Hungary
Istvan Hegedus, Head of Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest, Hungary
Jerzy Celichowski, expert of Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest, Hungary
Address: Central European University, Popper Room,
Working language: English
Contact information:
Tel./fax: +38 044 2386843,
e–mail: maryana.kuzio@gmail.com, iryna_sushko@ukr.net
