British Ambassador Roland Smith is convinced

Roland Smith, ambassador of Great Britain in Ukraine, is certain the European Union will find ways to bring about a “true rapprochement” with Kyiv. He recalled that Britain had suggested that Ukraine be granted the status of EU neighbor after the Union’s expansion, other neighbors being Belarus and Moldova. “Ukraine stands out against the background of these countries as a more developed state. I am sure methods will be found to set up closer cooperation with Ukraine,” Interfax quotes the ambassador as saying at a briefing on the occasion of the end his diplomatic mission in Kyiv.

Optimistically assessing the prospects of cooperation between British and Ukrainian businessmen, Mr. Smith still pointed out the problem of business law in Ukraine. In his view, the Ukrainian government is aware of the difficulties British entrepreneurs face in this country (never-ending inspections by various Ukrainian departments, problems with tax-related laws and Ukrainian loans, etc.) “In future, the conditions will be better,” Mr. Smith hopes. He also announced that the British embassy has plans to promote small and medium business in Ukraine, with some pilot projects already being implemented in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Lviv oblasts. “We have the experience of restructuring the coal sector, which might be of use for Ukraine,” Mr. Smith said. “I see great possibilities of cooperation in the field of energy. Ukraine being a transit state between Russia and the European Union, this field could open up opportunities for British firms.”

To prove the possibility of more active cooperation between London and Kyiv, outgoing Ambassador Smith announced the introduction of a fast track visa application process for certain categories of Ukrainian individuals and businesses. According to him, one of the schemes extends the new fast track system to businesses that send at least five employees a year to Britain as well as to companies belonging to the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he revealed, from now on accredited tourist agencies will be allowed to lodge group-based visa applications.

In the words of the British ambassador, a limited number of applicants will be able to schedule a visa application interview by e-mail within the trial period. “Although the demand for places under this scheme may exceed the number of the existing places that the embassy’s consular section can offer for the time being, this will allow a certain number of people to visit the visa section with a guaranteed opportunity to lodge an application,” the ambassador noted. “All these schemes were devised to relieve as many people as possible from the necessity of waiting in order to apply for a fast track scheme visa,” he emphasized.