Issue no: 945
• MAY 12 - 15, 2017
• PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY
PRICE: GEL 2.50
In this week’s issue...
Bicycle Lanes to Be Laid in Tbilisi NEWS PAGE 3
Pick a Date: The Battle against Fascism POLITICS PAGE 5
French President Macron & What’s in Store for the EU & Ukraine
FOCUS ON THE QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY A look at the implications of Georgian "Finlandization" from a legal and political PAGE perspective
POLITICS PAGE 6 4
European Council Approves Visa-Free Travel for Ukraine
SOCIETY PAGE 10
Italian Brand Missoni Enters Ici Paris Stores SOCIETY PAGE 12
Georgian-US Cook-Off Highlights Georgian Products on 25th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations
BY THEA MORRISON
F
rom June 2017, Ukrainians will be able to enjoy visa-free travel with the European Union. The EU Council of Ministers adopted a regulation on visa liberalization for Ukraine on May 11. After a signing ceremony in the European Parliament and publication of the regulation in an EU journal, Ukrainians who hold biometric passports will be able to travel to the EU for up to 90 days for business, tourist or family reasons, except work. The European Parliament press service said that the signing ceremony is planned to be held in Strasbourg, France, on May 17. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko is expected to take part in the ceremony along with many other EU officials. However, the revised suspension mechanism recently adopted by the EU makes it possible for the EU to suspend Ukraine’s visa liberalization if there are serious migration or security issues with Ukraine. The European Parliament voted for visa-free
The Big Spender: What City Hall Pays out for Disabled ‘Summer Camps’
CULTURE PAGE 15
travel for Ukraine during a session in Strasbourg on April 6. A total of 521 of its 751 members supported the decision. The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko stated that the decision of the European Coun-
cil is Ukraine's step towards Europe and towards independence. "We are cutting our ties with the post-Soviet past and becoming part of the European space," he said.