EU parliament backs visa-free travel for Ukraine, hurdles remain

A woman attends a flash mob to support a European treaty deepening ties with Ukraine on the eve of a referendum held in the Netherlands, in Kiev, Ukraine, in this April 5, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/Files

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukrainians' hopes of securing visa-free travel to the European Union received a boost on Monday when a key committee of the European Parliament backed their cause, but further hurdles remain.

Ukraine, an ex-Soviet republic of 45 million people, faces stiffer resistance from some EU member states at a time of heightened public concern over immigration after more than a million migrants and refugees arrived in the bloc last year.