Brussels, 04/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 4 May, the European Commission proposed a visa free regime for citizens of Kosovo who possess a biometric passport and want to travel in the EU for a maximum of 90 days.
The Commission thus confirmed that Kosovo had fulfilled the 98 requirements of its roadmap for liberalising the visa regime, “on the understanding that by the day of adoption” of this proposal by the European Parliament and Council, “Kosovo will have ratified the border/boundary agreement with Montenegro and strengthened its track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption”.
European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said he hoped the decision would be taken “very soon” - but did not give a precise date. He nevertheless thought that “two months, two and a half months” would be needed to finalise the procedures.
This decision will have to be approved by qualified majority in the Council of Ministers of the EU. Five member states do not recognise Kosovo's independence (Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain) but their weight is not enough to block the Council's decision if these five member states should vote against the decision but all the other member states vote for it. Greece, Romania and Slovakia already authorise nationals of Kosovo to enter their territory if they have a Kosovar passport.
The Commission did not wish to respond to the question about what consequences this visa liberalisation regime with Kosovo would have for the five member states that do not recognise the country's independence. Several sources only said that no predictions should be made about debates in the Council of the EU and European Parliament.
Questioned about the Spanish position, Kosovo's interior minister, Skender Hyseni, stated that he hoped and expected that the Spanish authorities would recognise the “very basic human right of Kosovars to move freely”. Hyseni added that there are currently around 4,000 to 6,000 Kosovars in possession of a biometric passport.
The dialogue on visa liberalisation between the EU and Kosovo was launched in January 2012. Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans still not to benefit from the visa free regime.
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Avramopoulos will both visit Kosovo on Thursday 5 May. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)