The European Parliament Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) approved the liberalisation of visas for Kosovo citizens on Thursday.
The agreement was initially reached in December between Parliament, the Council, and the Presidency of the EU which was, at the time, led by Czechia.
“The trilogue agreement on visa liberalisation with Kosovo was approved by EP Justice MEPs with 48 in favour, 7 against, and 3 abstaining. Next, the EP plenary will vote on the matter,” a tweet from LIBE noted.
In December, EU representatives agreed that visa liberalisation would become effective as of 1 January 2024, in conjunction with the launch of the EU-wide European Travel Information and Authorisation Process (ETIAS) system which digitally processes details of those travelling into the bloc.
Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans where citizens require a visa to travel into the EU, despite having met all conditions laid down by the Commission in 2018.
The country also applied for EU membership in December but expects to face tough opposition as five member states do not recognise its independence from Serbia and Hungary announced it would block the bid.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
