18/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - Hahn concerned and surprised at ban for journalists. On Thursday 17 September, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said he was “surprised” and “concerned” about the decree signed by Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko banning around 40 journalists and international bloggers, including some from EU member states (Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and the UK), from Ukrainian territory for a year. “I will certainly discuss it, after having analysed this issue, with the colleagues in Ukraine, because I would not say this is in a European spirit”, Hahn said at a press conference. Since this statement, three journalists from the BBC, two Spanish journalists and a German journalist have been removed from the list. In total, nearly 40 people have been banned from the territory for representing an “actual or potential threat to [the] national interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. (CG)