EU Council Presidency & Parliament Agree to Grant Kosovo Citizens With Schengen Visa-Free Entry on Jan.1, 2024 the Latest
On the same day that the government of Kosovo submitted an application to become a European Union Member Country, the representative of the bloc’s Council Presidency and European Parliament agreed to grant travellers from this country visa-free entry into the Schengen area on November 1, 2023, the earliest, and January 1, 2024, the latest.
The decision has been announced through a press release issued today, on December 14, by the Council of the EU, in which the same has confirmed that it has agreed with EU Parliament representatives to draft a regulation on visa-free entry for holders of passports issued by Kosovo authorities, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“The new rules would allow Kosovo passport holders to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. This exemption from the visa requirement would apply from the start date for the operation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and in any case no later than January 1, 2024,” the Council explains.
It also notes that in order for things to happen in this timeline, the test now needs to be approved by both the Council and the Parliament before going through a formal adoption procedure.
The EU Commission started the process of visa liberalisation for Kosovo on February 19, 2012, while the country received the roadmap for this process on June 14 of the same year.
Six years later, on July 18, 2018, the Commission gave a positive recommendation on the process, confirming that Kosovo had met all the requirements presented in the roadmap for its citizens to be permitted to travel visa-free to the 26 Schengen area countries.
However, the bloc has failed to deliver visa-free entry for these citizens, with France and the Netherlands being the main opposers to the finalisation of the process.
In the press release issued today, the Council claims that Kosovo has made significant progress in all conditions set in the visa liberalisation roadmap, insisting that the country should be included in the list of countries the citizens of which are permitted to enter the Schengen Area visa-free so that the whole Western Balkan is under the same visa regime.
Previously on November 30, the ambassadors of the EU agreed on the Council negotiating mandate regarding regulation on visa-free travel for citizens of Kosovo, which opened the way for the text approved today.
Only today, Kosovo has submitted its EU membership application, which its Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Glauk Konjufca, and Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani called a historic moment that will bring Kosovo closer to the EU.
>> The Timeline of the Long Road to EU Visa Liberalization for Kosovo
