European Parliament on Tuesday approved the visa liberalisation of Kosovo citizens with no objections, according to President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, in a move that sparked nervous reactions in Serbia.
On Wednesday, a signing ceremony will take place with Metolsa, Jessika Rosëall, the Swedish minister of the EU representing the presidency of the Council of the EU. The chairman of LIBE, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, and the rapporteur for Kosovo visas, MEP Thijs Reuten also present.
“I have not received any proposal to reject the position of the Council and no amendment. Therefore, the position of the Council has been approved, and the proposed act has been approved”, said Metsola.
This decision was met with applause by some MEPs.
According to the decision, Kosovo citizens can enter the EU without visas from 1 January 2024, with the only remaining procedure after the signing ceremony being the publication of the decision in the Official Gazette of the EU.
The European Parliament has supported visa liberalisation for Kosovo since 2016, when the European Commission declared that Kosovo meets the criteria of its visa liberalisation guidelines, but for several years, the process was held up by the Council.
President of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, called it an unforgettable day for Kosovo and its citizens.
“An unforgettable day for the Republic of Kosovo and its citizens as the long-awaited liberalisation of visas is finally approved by the European Parliament”, Abdixhiku wrote on Twitter, adding the delays to the process up until this point have been unfair for Kosovo.
“An unfair and unjust treatment finally sees the end. We celebrate this historic moment and look forward to a future within the European family”, he said.
Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans still subject to visa liberalisation, leaving citizens facing lengthy and expensive visa application processes to work, travel, or visit family in Europe.
Reuten also addressed the delay in his comments and reiterated that Kosovo is a part of Europe.
“The European Parliament gives the final green light for visa-free travel to the EU for Kosovo. Proud that we finally realised this delayed promise of the EU for the citizens of Kosovo. You are part of Europe! Now we can open the next chapter by further building our common European future.”
Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz also criticised the EU for delays.
“Today is a day of joy for Kosovo and its citizens. After years of blockade in the Council, the European Parliament will finally approve today the liberalisation of visas for the newest country in Europe. This step on Kosovo’s path to the EU is overdue,” he said.
But not everyone was happy with the news. The Chairperson for the Commission for European Integration of the Parliament of Serbia, Elvira Kovac, said that Kosovo is being rewarded while the EU is punishing Serbia in the context of the ongoing Belgrade-Pristina EU-facilitated dialogue.
“One side receives a prize, while the other waits two years to open a cluster,” she said regarding Serbia’s EU accession path.
However, she assessed that visa liberalisation is important for security and economic reasons, first of all for reasons of respect for the right to freedom of movement.
“For economic reasons, because the potentials of the Berlin Process will be further strengthened, the creation of the Common Regional Market, efforts are being made to strengthen the economic potentials of the Open Balkans,” Kovac said.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
