The EU repeats: Kosovo has two criteria for liberalisation

Of the state leaders fighting organised crime and corruption, criteria have been left in the shadows, while EU officials have repeatedly mentioned meeting this condition.

Even incumbent Prime Minister Isa Mustafa during the Triesta Summit said Kosovo has fulfilled 94 of the 95 criteria required, only applying the definition of the border line with Montenegro as incomplete criteria.

But in Brussels they say otherwise. Maja Kocijanciq, spokeswoman for the high representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Frederica Mighrini in an email response to Online Economy, says Kosovo must continue to show results in the fight against organised crime and high-level corruption.

She cited President Hashim Thaci's meeting with European Commission head Jean Claude Juncker, where it was discussed about meeting this criterion, ordering that work in fighting organised crime and corruption must continue.

At a meeting with President Thaci on February 9th, President Juncker praised the progress Kosovo has made in this regard recently, including gathering data for high-level organised crime and corruption cases. But this job has yet to continue”, she ordered.

She says Kosovo has tried to undermine border deregulation with the neighbouring state of Montenegro, but without success. And this effort is being assessed by the EU.

The commission also recognises efforts Kosovo has made to ratify the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. As envisioned in the Council's proposal of May 2016, ratification of this agreement is one of the requirements for visa liberalisation”, it clarified.

Although Prime Minister Mustafa is referring only to demarcation as a condition, the EU spokeswoman says the incumbent prime minister, in April, has become clear to the things that await Kosovars to move visa-free in the Schengen area.

“Commissioner Avramopoulos met with Prime Minister Mustafa on 25 April to discuss the final steps needed to meet the remaining dialogue criteria for visa liberalisation with Kosovo”, Kocijanciq said.

According to Kocijancic, the Commission is fully aware of the importance visa liberalisation has for the people of Kosovo, but this remains in the hands of local institutions.

The European Commission has already given formal recommendation for abolishing visas for Kosovo, but with two additional conditions, demarcation with Montenegro and fighting organised crime and corruption. After Kosovo institutions meet these conditions the Council of the European Union, where the interior ministers of qualified member states must say yes to liberalisation. The European Parliament must do the same.

Once the proposal is approved by the European Council and Parliament, Kosovars with biometric passports will no longer need visas when they travel for short stays of up to 90 days in EU member states, except Ireland and Great Britain, as well as four associate Schengen countries that are: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.