Hoxha: Disillusionment if visa liberalisation is linked to continuing dialogue

Minister for European Integration in the Government of Kosovo, Gift Hoxha, says the possible interconnection of the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo with political dialogue with Serbia would be disappointing. In an interview for Radio Free Europe, she points out that there are such trends, despite the fact that there have been requirements, either for tax suspension or for continuing dialogue. Hoxha also says visa liberalisation is in the last step in the Council of Ministers review.

Radio Free Europe Interview

Radio Free Europe: Lady Hoxha, where and at what stage is Kosovo currently in the visa liberalisation process?

Present Hoxha: Visa liberalisation is in the last step, so in the Council of Ministers review. I'm saying it's in the final step because after the decision is made so a consensus decision is needed, I said, There must be a qualified majority.

So we need so many states, which make up 65% of the European Union population. And if that happens, if we have a vote on the Council of Ministers, then all the other procedures after this vote are then only bureaucratic procedures that can be completed... is a matter of weeks that can be concluded after the Council vote.

But the challenge we have is that this consensus is not yet being built among member states to put it into the agenda. So, when we see that it has entered the agenda and is voted into the Council of Ministers, then it is not a very long time when free movement or visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens comes into force.

Radio Free Europe: It has been about two months since Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj congratulated Kosovo citizens that visas will be lifted this year. Can you have the same message?

Present Hoxha: To be honest, I want to be a little more reserved on this because we've met the criteria, so now it's become a year from confirmation. by Commission that has been completed the criteriaBut on the other hand, we are seeing that consensus on the Council of Ministers has not yet moved anything.

So, not to become too pessimistic, it all depends on EU member states. It has been good news that Germany has moved into its position. So Germany, even at my meetings, both with the Minister for Europe and even with the foreign minister, has confirmed that they support him. However, it was the minister of interior who was a refuser or who had a you on the issue of liberalisation. Recently, the interior minister, or the interior ministry, has also moved, has started a technical group meeting so to address some of the issues or concerns Germany may have, in terms of co-operation, in terms of security.

I believe that if we have a movement in this regard, one of the member states should push this matter forward. For now, what I see is that there is no readiness from any of these countries, so when we say one member states, we can imagine that it should be one of these powerful countries that has the weight of decisions and policy making in the European Union. One of these countries should postpone this issue to the Council of Ministers agenda, or create this much-needed consensus, knowing that France is opposed.

Radio Free Europe: So you don't have the same opinion as the prime minister, so are there some procedures that need to be expected, before citizens wish for visa liberalisation?

Present Hoxha: It's not that we don't share the opinion of the prime minister because the prime minister is optimistic that this issue will move forward, but on the other hand we all do. We know there are some challenges Even within the European Union.

Radio Free Europe: In addition to those 95 European Commission criteria, the issue of fighting corruption at high political levels is often highlighted as the main obstacle. Does the problem of lifting visas really lie in the component of justice and fighting corruption?

Present Hoxha: I don't see this interconnected, because the Commission has confirmed that the criteria have been met and it's not just the Commission, we have had the Libe committee, within the European Parliament.

We had two votes in the European Parliament, with a great majority. We have also had different resolutions of Europarliamen who are friends of the Republic of Kosovo, or people who have called on member states to move forward. On the other hand, we also see countries that have liberalisation, but they do not sit well either with rule of law or with control of their borders, which were asked to guide us.

We had 95 criteria and they were all fulfilled. We have Georgia, we have Ukraine or even Moldova, these countries that are known by high corruption, high crime.

Ukraine has a frozen conflict on its territory and does not control part of its territory, and still enjoy the visa liberalisation process. So the issue of fighting crime and corruption is a process that will continue. It means it's a process we have to continue. It is true that we should produce larger results, but I do not see this issue related to the visa liberalisation process.

Radio Free Europe: You have cited three states as an obstacle to visa liberalisation. Does the Kosovo government plan to lobby on these countries to clarify the problems why they hesitate?

Present Hoxha: So far, the states that are reluctant to call them are, France, Holland, Belgium, And on the other hand, we have two other non-recognitional states. It's Cyprus and Spain. These are probably countries that have a more hesitant position. On the other hand, with the final signing of the agreement made by the prime minister, whether he or by the Minister of Internal Affairs, which was set up at my meeting that I had with the Minister of State of Internal Affairs, who will visit the early autumn of the Republic of Kosovo, France is one of the states we need for visa liberalisation.

What we're doing is we're continuing to have regular meetings, we're continuing to have regular communication. We're continuing to share different reports, different statistics, whether in rule of law or in targeted cases.

So, we're continuing to do our job, but on the other hand there are these countries which see the issue of visa liberalisation not much as an issue against Kosovo, but see it as a matter of their domestic policies, that is, their position faces new institutions, Against migration, against enlargement.

For example, France is lobbiing very openly in the European Union and new institutions, so that enlargement is not part of the new Commission programme, and this certainly should not be connected, but it is internal EU policies and not so many issues we have.

For example, Kosovo is not afraid, or will not be a challenge to misuse of visa liberalisation, because we are not even on top 30 countries from Who has a high number of asylum seekers. Or all of these reports made in our media about our young people or our people moving. All of them are legal visas, thus legally issued visas. And this is something that is not a phenomenon in Kosovo, but it's everywhere.

It means that as long as countries of the European Union, members of the EU that have population movements, it is a new notion of globalisation. Without wanting to be acquitted, because we should view Kosovo as a place where we should all live and see a place of opportunity, but we are all trying to work from the president, the prime minister, the head of the Parliament, me, the foreign minister, we are all co-ordinated to lobby as much as we can to make this issue move as fast.

Radio Free Europe: What are the chances that even the fate of visa liberalisation will be introduced under conditions for continuing dialogue and reaching the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia?

Present Hoxha: This would be most disappointing to see such trends, despite the fact that we have had requests, either for tax suspension or for continuing dialogue, one related to the other. So [the request] suspend the tax and then sit in dialogue. I don't think they should connect with each other and we shouldn't connect because it's a process that has so far been technical cigars and has been politicised in the case of Kosovo. So a process which meets the criteria and comes liberalisation, as has happened for countries in the region. We have seen a clear process, and now in the end this is a very unclear process for the Republic of Kosovo.

I hope it doesn't get interconnected, because from the start we've paid twice the price the countries in the region paid for this process, so we have 95 criteria, and other countries have had 40-45 criteria.

And now to connect or add criteria which are not really criteria, but are political issues, because it is also in our interest to definitely sit down and talk, and the sooner we reach a comprehensive agreement or a historic agreement on mutual recognition between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia, because it would pave the way for an even faster process of European integration.

But, on the other hand, it's not fair that The European Union does not keep its word.when we all know it has been a very clear process for all countries in the region, so the criteria are met, visa liberalisation comes, or the visa liberalisation decision is made.

So I hope there are no such trends. We've made this clear to us in many of my meetings, and we have said that they should not pay again for visa liberalisation by asking for something that is not even related to visa liberalisation.