an hour agoSerbs accept Kosovo passports, that's why
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)Following the positive recommendation from the European Commission that Kosovo has met all criteria for the country's passports to be introduced into the so-called Schengen “White List” and when this recommendation is approved by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, Kosovo citizens will be able to move freely to the Schengen area countries. [...]
On the other hand, citizens of Serbia enjoy this right since 2009. But visa liberalisation for this country has not included the passports issued by Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs Co-ordination Directorate, which, under an approved regulation, releases it to citizens with settlements in Kosovo. These passports, mainly possess Serbs who have addresses in Kosovo.
In practical terms, this means that if Kosovo receives visa liberalisation, those who own the passport issued by the Co-ordination Directorate will need travel visas.
Such a passport also owns Ilinka Mladenovic from North Mitrovica, and it is already in the process of securing visa documentation for a trip to Greece. The security of this documentation, according to her, is very painful. As she says, if Kosovo gets visa liberalisation, and if the majority of Serbs will receive Kosovo passports, it will.
If a lot of these passports come out, I'll go where the majority is. Honestly, because I said I didn't even want my ID, but I did. As most do, I'll do”, Mladenovic said.
Milica Andric, a researcher in the non-governmental organisation “Link”, says it is quite certain that it is not possible to have Kosovo passports together with co-ordination Directorate passports receive visa liberalisation. That, according to her, the co-ordination Directorate has been exempted from visa liberalisation for Serbia, and that the clause for excluding these passports is part of the Schengen area law dealing with Serbia.
“, therefore, the European Commission would have to submit a separate proposal for changing that law involving Serbia, so that the Co-ordination Directorate passports can be introduced into the visa liberalisation system. Such a proposal is not even being discussed and there are no signs that the European Commission will submit such a proposal to the Council of Ministers, nor to the European Parliament”, Andric said.
However, it considers that, in the event Kosovo receives visa liberalisation, Kosovo Serbs will massly receive Kosovo passports.
This is because it is a serious benefit to travel to Schengen countries without visas for the short term. So I am completely sure that the number of people applying for Kosovo passports will grow to large extent”, Andric said.
Even Sonja Sovlic from the non-governmental organisation “The white and black world” considers that if Kosovo receives visa liberalisation, the number of citizens seeking Kosovo passports will increase.
There are always practical reasons before some others. I think Serbia and the European Union would have to deal with this issue in the sense that visa liberalisation would include those passports issued by the Co-ordination Directorate. It is very important to say that Kosovo Serbs are entitled to dual citizenship, and in that sense I think they should not be conditioned. They have the right to choose and exploit those visa-free travel documents”, Sovrlic said.
Branko Miliq of North Mitrovica considers that the problem with Serbian passports of the Co-ordination Directorate will be resolved and expects the government of Serbia to find an adequate solution.
I wouldn't want to change my passport. I would hold on to what I have, but not to be of the Co-ordination Directorate and to match Serbia's passports. I expect there will be a solution, because that's how it can't be”, Miliq said.
Marko Mitchalovic of Babamoci owns the passport of the Co-ordination Directorate and says that in the event of visa liberalisation for Kosovo, he will do as most Serbs do.
This passport I have, honestly, as if I don't have it at all. It's not functional, so I don't know what to say. I'm not sure, but since I have Kosovo ID, I will have to get my passport if I want to travel. I'm gonna have to sort this out. If I had to register the vehicle with KS (Kosovo's) license, or RKS ( Republic of Kosovo), if I had to get my driver's license, in which the Republic of Kosovo writes, and if all of this has had to do, I don't believe all of this is less important than the ID document or similar”, Michikov stressed.
According to Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs data, by August 2017, 2 thousand and 586 Kosovo passports have been issued to citizens of the four municipalities in northern Kosovo, northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq, including all communities. Meanwhile, during the period of January, May 2018, 110 applications for Kosovo passports have been submitted in these municipalities.
