Commission to propose visa-free travel for Ukraine despite Dutch ‘No’

Voters in the Netherlands last week rejected an EU-Ukraine trade deal.

The European Commission this month will propose allowing Ukrainians to travel visa-free in the EU despite the result of the Dutch referendum, according to Reuters.

“It may look as if we’re ignoring the Dutch voters, but we have to keep our word to Ukraine, which has met the conditions,” an unnamed source told Reuters.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed last month on a visa liberalization proposal for Ukrainian citizens. The move came in response to Ukraine’s recent anti-corruption reforms.

Last week the Netherlands held a referendum in which more than 60 percent of the Dutch registered voters voted against ratifying an EU-Ukraine trade deal.

Following the referendum results, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the ratification could not automatically go forward, and it was up to Dutch leaders to suggest the next step.

The results of the referendum shook a pro-EU government in Ukraine. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation on Sunday.

“As of today my goals are broader: new electoral law, constitutional reform, judicial reform, Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO,” Yatsenyuk tweeted.