Spain has confirmed that it now recognises Kosovo passports, allowing its citizens visa-free entry under the visa liberalisation that came into force for Kosovars in all Schengen countries on 1 January – though this does not amount to recognition of Kosovo’s sovereignty, a Spanish source confirmed to Euractiv.
As of 1 January, Kosovars could travel throughout the EU and Schengen Area without needing a visa. However, Spain was the only non-recogniser out of Slovakia, Romania, Cyprus, and Greece, that dug in its heels and did not allow access.
But this changed after Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi announced Spain’s changed stance on Saturday – something a Spanish Foreign Ministry source confirmed to Euractiv.
Still, the source said the move does not change Spain’s position of non-recognition of Kosovo, adding “all non-recognising states have accepted the use of ordinary Kosovar passports which in no way implies recognition of Kosovo.”
The European Commission’s DG Home also updated its guidance on travel documents, stating that “Spain recognises, from 1 January 2024, ordinary passports issued by Kosovo. This change does not constitute, by any means, an official recognition of Kosovo as an independent state.”
The news from Spain came as something of a surprise as in April 2023, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said citizens of Kosovo would not be able to enter the country in 2024 without a visa, despite visa liberalisation coming into force.
“Spain has a traditional policy of non-recognition of Kosovo, and that traditional policy leads to non-recognition of Kosovo passports, and it is something that we have been applying consistently already for many years, and it is well known,” Albares said at the time.
Meanwhile, Greece has been edging closer to recognition, with rumours swirling that such an announcement could be imminent but it depends on “the right timing”.
In December, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi told Euractiv that while Greece does not recognise Kosovo’s independence, it still has closer ties with Kosovo than the majority of EU countries that do recognise it.
Asked whether Greece could be first over the line regarding recognition, Bislimi said, “We understand that five EU non-recognisers have five specific situations within them, and this is why we cannot use the same medicine or the same approach for all of them.”
“But the situation with Greece is particular because we have more exchange, political, economic, and cultural, with Greece than with most EU members that have recognised Kosovo,” he added.
No European foreign minister has visited Kosovo more often than Greece’s, Bislimi said, noting that
Pristina knows well what it will take for Greece to “take the next step”.
Greece has a UNMIK-accredited Liaison Office in Pristina, while Athens has a Kosovo Economic and Commercial Affairs Office. In 2021, it was upgraded to an Office of Interest, and while it cannot fly the Kosovo flag outside, it can issue visas.
(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com, Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)
Read more with Euractiv
Czech National Bank warns of Eurozone’s uncertain futureCzech politicians debating whether to adopt the euro should take into account the rather “unflattering” economic situation in Eurozone countries as the group’s future remains uncertain, a report published by the Czech National Bank (CNB) reads.
Source: euractiv.com
