There is currently a motion within the European Parliament to allow visa-free travel for Ukrainians. However for some reason I don't understand why it's such a big improvement - most Ukrainians who wanted to visit the Schengen area already have a visa, so it won't affect them. Likewise it won't significantly help Ukraine's economy as EU citizens can already travel there without a visa.
What are the reasons for treating a new visa-free agreement like a huge event?
Yes, many would see the visa-free travel to the EU as an important thing, and the key words here are: reputation, acknowledgement, and recognition.
The EU officials make a clear link between the Ukraine's elimination the corruption and organized crime and, on the other hand, receiving the visa-free travel.
Visa-free travel is often perceived as an ability to hand your passport to the Immigration officer on the border and get your entry permit.
But inside, the process is much more complicated.
During maybe one minute, the officer must get enough information about the traveler: their criminal record, for example.
When you apply for the visa normally, a Consulate does essentially the same, but they have dramatically more time than an officer at the border check.
So, visa-free essentially means that a country X trusts the country Y:
Look at Ukraine before the Revolution of Dignity (2014). It was widely recognized as a semi-colony of Russia. Albeit formally we were an independent state, the whole country was under significant influence of Russia:
Ukrainians came to streets and squares to not only overthrow the pro-Russian regime, but also to start building normal relations with the developed world, and, most importantly, with the European Union as our closest neighbor.
The last three years have seen the birth of a new Ukraine, that advances its democracy and economy through sometimes very tough reforms.
Additional assistance from Europe should help Ukraine in strengthening its democratic path.
— European Council President Donald Tusk (BBC.com)
The EU officials make a clear connection between the fighting corruption and receiving the visa-free travel. Quoting the same article:
The other major matter on the agenda at Thursday's meeting was corruption, and the country's record on tackling it came under scrutiny.
EU officials have been urging Ukraine since 2014 to clamp down on corruption and to carry out other reforms. But critics say not enough has changed, and Mr. Poroshenko has been accused of backing corrupt officials.
I do not claim that Ukraine has already eliminated our "colonial past". It took merely 25 years of hard work for other countries who were in a similar situation: Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, to name a few.
Realizing that the recognition must be earned, Ukrainian people are slowly but surely changing their country, and struggling for the EU to offer the visa-free as one step forward to the full Euro-integration.
Also, the visa-free travel seems to be an useful thing for the EU, too. During the recent years, the EU suffers from euro-skepticism. The enemy's propaganda is working hard to undermine the EU's integrity. This ended up with brexit and other destructive processes with the Union.
Realizing that some countries are trying their best toward Euro-integration is arguably a huge factor for raising the morale within the Europe itself.
That's why the visa-free travel is a big deal for both Ukraine and the EU.
most Ukrainians who wanted to visit the Schengen area already have a visa
But even if this is true, these visas are valid for 5 years or less. Some of them are single-entry visas. Visa nationals have to shell out an extra (at least) €60 every time they need a new visa, not to mention the time and hassle required to prepare and submit the application, etc. On top of that, there will be thousands of people every year who develop plans to visit the Schengen area for the first time.
As you note, there are around 1.2 million visas issued by consulates in Ukraine every year (https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy_en#stats). Of these, in 2015, only 670,000 were multiple entry. About 45,000 applications were refused. These numbers imply that there are many people in Ukraine (not all Ukrainian citizens, granted, but probably most) who will be affected by this change.
Finally, much of international politics is about emotion and perception: exempting a country's citizens from a visa requirement is seen, rightly or wrongly, as extending a measure of trust to that country and treating it as a "first-class" citizen in the international community.
I was Ukrainian citizen studying in Germany for 6 years. Then, after graduation, I found a job in Canada and some years later decided to stay here for the rest of my life and became Canadian citizen. So, I can perfectly compare experience before and after.
After more than a decade of annually traveling to Europe for business and pleasure as a Canadian, I almost forget what an experience it was before and how much it is a privilege to be accepted as a "normal" person at the border.
While people living in Europe mostly take you for who you are and how you behave, borders are bound to the rules. And rules are bound to the passports. And passports bring with them all the history of relationship between the countries. It is absolutely political. If you are flying from Kiev to the conference in Chicago as Ukrainian, a layover in Munich would mean you cannot jump S-Bahn to enjoy Marienplatz for couple of hours. Let alone stay for a day or two to visit couple of museums or friends. Unless, of course, you obtain a visa. Which can be denied just because. E.g. a quota is over. It also means a routine police stop to check your identity can turn into an hour wait besides the police car until the department of foreign affairs clears your status, even with a valid visa. This all happened to me in the 90s.
In short, at least to Ukrainians, it feels like Europe granted a presumption of innocence to Ukrainians. As opposed to the burden of proving every time you cross the border that you do so with good consciousness and as a friendly human being. Not just with words, but with quite a bit of bureaucracy attached to the process. It also feels like ordinary Ukrainians deserved this presumption of innocence with their deeds and aspirations.
What are the reasons for treating a new visa-free agreement like a huge event?
For the same reason that towns with unlocked doors are a big deal. Obviously it is beneficial to every law abiding citizen that doors are unlocked: you and your friends will never get locked out of your own house, your cars, your safe, your jewlerys.
Except that not everyone is a law abiding citizen. That's why towns with unlocked doors only exist in utopia and fairytales.
The same with visa free travels. Hugely beneficial and a great saving for all parties involved, as long as everyone follows the law.
Too bad that we cannot outlaw outlaws
Because VISA free redefines the de facto boundary of the political entity. The definition of political entity in modern political science started with WestPhalian Sovereign treaty that defined the modern state. This Treaty defined what is a sovereign state, the basis for International Politics and the most concerning question in politics.
If some citizen from some region, in this case Ukraine, could visit some certain region, in this case EU, then Ukraine was de facto a part of EU, at least from the respect of freedom of travel and from the definition of modern political entity.
