Eastern partnership countries have been among the first signatories of Mobility Partnerships (MP) with the EU. These partnerships are the most complete framework for bilateral cooperation between the EU and its partners, based on mutual offers of commitments and project initiatives covering mobility, migration and asylum issues, within the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM).
Helping citizens to move around Europe in a secure environment is a key component of the Eastern Partnership, which promotes the mobility of the citizens of the EU Eastern partner countries through visa facilitation agreements, and provides rules for managing the return of irregular migrants through readmission agreements.
The EU-Ukraine Visa Facilitation Agreement and Readmission Agreement entered into force in June 2007. An amended version of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Ukraine entered into force in July 2013.
The EU and Republic of Moldova signed a Mobility Partnership in June 2008 and the EU-Moldova Visa Facilitation Agreement and Readmission Agreement entered into force in October 2007. An amended version of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with the Republic of Moldova entered into force in July 2013.
The EU and Georgia signed a Mobility Partnership in 2009 and the EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation Agreement and Readmission Agreement entered into force in March 2011.
The EU and the Republic of Armenia signed a Mobility Partnership in 2011. The Visa Facilitation Agreement was signed in December 2012 and the Readmission Agreement in April 2013. Both agreements entered into force in January 2014.
The EU and the Republic of Azerbaijan signed the Visa facilitation Agreement in November 2013 and the Readmission Agreement in February 2014. Both agreements entered into force in September 2014. The Mobility Partnership between the two countries was signed in December 2013.
In 2014, the EU and the Republic of Belarus started to negotiate visa facilitation and readmission agreements. The Mobility Partnership between the two countries was signed in October 2016.