Visa lift, Kosovo's only unique request in Berlin

That the visa liberalisation issue for Kosovo citizens will be carried out at the Berlin summit, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj have confirmed that.

President Thaci, in a writing on the social network Facebook on Wednesday, has stressed that given the consultation he has conducted “there will be no plan proposed for the Kosovo agreement- Serbia” and that “has no secret agenda behind this” meeting.

But, he has added that “for Kosovo would be extremely depressing if, even at this meeting, France and Germany, fail to harmonise their positions on the decision to liberalise visas” for Kosovo citizens.

Contacters of political developments say the issue of visa liberalisation is already only a matter of political decision by the European Union member states. Also, according to them, even the impasse of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is strictly political issues.

Analyst Artan Muuhxhiri, speaking of Radio Free Europe, estimates that after green light from the European Commission and the European Parliament for Kosovo to abolish visas, this process has been complicated and has already turned into political adus and its implementation depends on the political interests of EU countries.

With the fact that Kosovo, officially, has fulfilled all criteria, then this now enters the customs of unforeseen occurrence, because it is no longer a test that can be identified, whether it comes to realisation or not of obligations. However, it is only a political act, which will be taken on the interests of important factors within the EU”, Muhaxiri stressed.

Taulant Kryeziu, from the Kosovo Institute for European Policy (EPIK), tells Radio Free Europe that the decision to liberalise visas for Kosovo remains a political decision and is based on several addresses dealing with fighting organised crime and corruption. But, based on the current dynamics, it is not seen that there is currently any moment of the major European Union countries that there may be any visa decision, unless it links with Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

This is in the hands of members of the European Union. So when their inner moment arises and our institutions will convince them that they are willing to fight organised crime and corruption. Now, whether or not this is this visa process related to dialogue (Kosovo-Serbia), it's a question that might even be, because it's a big political matter”.

“If Germany is interested in starting the dialogue process early and that the Kosovo Government's 100 per cent tax on Serbia's goods will withdraw, then the countervalue Germany can offer is to speed up the visa agenda”, Kryeziu stressed.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, days ago, has said he considers the Berlin meeting very important because, according to him, Kosovo is interested in visa liberalisation and has shown the hope that this topic will open.

We're April 29th in Berlin. It is a real opportunity to move forward with the visa liberalisation situation. Now, we, with the idea of going to certain poets or certain situations, whether political or other, have to take care of and realise the goal, which we have been in for 20 years, that our people would be free people”, Haradinaj said.

However, Prime Minister Haradinaj has not provided more clarifications as to what are those points or certain political or other situations, through which a decision by EU countries for visa liberalisation is intended for Kosovo.

Analyst Muhhaxhiri voices the opinion that any kind of offer in relation to visa liberalisation can be expected from the EU, but also policy decision-making changes in Kosovo.

“Since visa liberalisation has become a political card, then it is possible on the basis of the interests of even the major powers -- namely, Germany's in proportion to the outcome of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia -- to be used as an incentive for Kosovo's political class -- for the Government of Kosovo to remove the tax, as against the compensation for visa liberalisation”, Mujari noted.

But Kryeziu estimates that the possibility of such an offer by the EU for Kosovo, though it is not disfellowshipped, for now, remains only in the analyses of potential situations.

If Germany and France have will, then Kosovo citizens can be allowed free movement in the Schengen area. If these two countries' heads of governments take this process, so if these member states condition it with the resumption of dialogue, meaning tax withdrawal, and then Kosovo's prime minister plays it, let's call this game that tax withdrawal is used as an opportunity to win the visa liberalisation process, it is something that remains to be seen. That's because it's in the soias of an analysis and we don't know exactly”, Kryeziu stressed.

However, President Thaci, in his writing at Facebok, has said Kosovo remains the only isolated country in Europe. Displaying his expectations for the possibility that at the Berlin summit the positions of Germany and France to liberalise visas for Kosovo, he has stressed that “to speak of Kosovo's European perspective, even in a rhetorical way, is more than hypocrisy”.