Institutions say visa liberalisation são prevents any other political process

According to her, visa liberalisation cannot even be used as pressure for Kosovo to sign the final agreement with Serbia.

In opinion in Kosovo recently, the topic of restructuring the border between Kosovo and Serbia has been opened.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has stated that the border issue with Serbia would have to be included in the agreement for normalisation of reports between the two countries, Kosovo and Serbia, within Brussels' dialogue.

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has started since 2011. According to the European Union at the end of this process, the two countries must reach an agreement on normalisation of reports, which, in addition, leads the two countries towards European integration.

Minister Hoxha, says visa liberalisation and the issue of dialogue with Serbia are separate processes.

“I don't see these issues related at all, it's a very divided process has been from the very beginning, even when various reports that Kosovo has accepted, whether in the rule of law sector or in other sectors, have been mentioned. Those reports have never been linked to visa liberalisation”.

The visa liberalisation process has been a technical process. We have received the guide, 95 criteria have been met, and with their fulfillment, the European Commission has come up with positive recommendation. Now there are the next steps. It is a decision-making process among the three institutions: Commission, European Parliament and Council of Ministers. So it remains these three institutions to initiate decision-making procedures”, Hoxha suggested.

On the other hand, European integration issues analyst Taulant Kryeziu tells Radio Free Europe that the visa liberalisation issue should not be linked to dialogue.

These are separate issues. The visa issue is technical process, as far as dialogue is concerned, no one can dialogue, nor sign agreement without having the Kosovo Parliament's preliminary approval. We can't talk about our country's territory like talking about private property. There are some rules that have every parliamentary system, such as Kosova”, Kryeziu says.

Kosovo institutions, Kryeziu adds, should lobby more to European countries, as well as provide information to these countries about the work being done in the justice system. According to him, the most positive scenario regarding visa liberalisation is that this year at least decision-making in European institutions.

“Dinamics within and EU member states can cost us, as this is a political decision. The problems of the migrations Italy, Germany, all can negatively influence this agenda not to push forward. Also, the important thing is for citizens to understand what visa liberalisation is, since concern of EU member states is not to become a burden of taxpayers' taxes from these countries and not to be exporters of criminality, as well as to show that we have created a powerful domestic legislative framework”, Kryeziu says.

As far as informing Kosovo citizens about visa liberalisation, Minister Hoxha suggests that they have launched a conscious campaign so there can be no misuse, as the citizens of the countries of the region have done.

Minister Hoxha underlines that in late August or the first week of September, the meeting of the LIBE Committee is held, then the process begins in the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

The entire procedure, based on examples of countries in the region and countries that have gone through this process, could be completed by the end of this year”, says Minister Hoxha.

The European Commission has already given the positive recommendation for visa liberalisations for Kosovo. It is now expected that the European Parliament and the Council of EU Ministers will vote for the removal of the visa regime for Kosovo citizens.