Kosovo’s Visa Liberalisation Process to Be Included on Council’s Working Group Agenda on October 13
The visa liberalisation issue will be included on the agenda at the meeting of the working group of the European Council that will be held on October 13.
Such an announcement, according to the Express newspaper, was confirmed for Radio Free Europe by European Union diplomatic sources, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The Czech Presidency of the EU has already sent a letter to the EU Member States as a warning for discussions regarding the topic.
According to the letter that Radio Free Europe has secured access to, it expresses the desire of Czechia for all EU countries to reach an international consensus in order to support visa liberalisation for Kosovo.
The Czech Republic also recalls that the European Commission has also confirmed and it is expected to repeat that Kosovo has met all the requirements in order for the visa liberalisation processes to be completed.
“Since Czechia thinks that the reasons related to foreign policy for visa liberalisation for Kosovo are convincing, it hopes that all European Union Member States will reach an internal political agreement on this issue,” this document notes.
It also says that the EU’s geopolitical approach to the Western Balkans is indispensable, adding that it needs a clear signal that the European Union enlargement process is credible and that the EU is ready to reward the reform efforts made by the Western Balkans countries.
The Czech Presidency also mentioned the visa liberalisation for Kosovo as an example of how the European Union can increase its credibility in this region.
“The liberalisation of visas is a key element in the process of Kosovo’s integration into the EU, which is already long overdue. Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans (and one of the few countries in Europe) that has not yet secured a visa-free regime with the European Union. This fact has a significant negative impact on the atmosphere in the country and on the attitudes of the citizens of Kosovo regarding the correctness and credibility of the EU,” the letter reads.
It also recalls Kosovo’s journey toward fulfilling the conditions for the free movement of its citizens.
Recently, the President of Kosovo has called the EU Chief Diplomat, Josep Borell, to liberalise Kosovo visas. Osmani’s comments came during a meeting held with the letter on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York.
The Ministers of European Affairs of France, Poland and Germany called for progress in the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo through a joint statement.
Kosovo has been waiting for the liberalisation process to be finished since February 19, 2012, and despite the fact that the European Commission and the European Parliament in 2018 estimated that the country met all the needed requirements, it has not been finished yet.
