On Thursday, European Parliament votes for visa liberalisation

After this vote, the mandate to start talks with EU member states will be confirmed so that Kosovo can liberalise visas.

Talks on behalf of the European Parliament will lead Tanja Fajon, rapporteur for Parliament's visas.

The vote at the European Parliament was in store for the coming months, but according to the LBE Committee's announcement “several parliamentary groups in Parliament have demanded that the vote take place at the September session”.

For visa liberalisation it is necessary for reconciliation to provide two key EU institutions as well: The European Parliament and the Council of Interior Ministers of member states.

On Wednesday, when the visa rapporteur receives the mandate for starting talks with the European Union Council, the process goes to the level of working groups.

Free Europe Radio teaches that the working group's first meeting will be held on 17 September.

After talks within the working group are approached, the issue then passes to the level of European Union interior ministers, who decide on it through voting with a qualified majority.

The European Commission on July 18th of this year decided that Kosovo has met all criteria and recommended that the European Union liberalise visas for Kosovo citizens.

Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans, whose citizens do not enjoy the right to free movement in the Schengen area. / REL