They say Kosovo has met criteria for visa liberalisation but continues to be isolated

Kosovo citizens have been looking forward to visa liberalisation for years, but are still not enjoying the right to free movement towards European Union countries.

Since 2016, when the European Commission presented the visa liberalisation issue before the Council and the European Parliament, showing that Kosovo has fulfilled the criteria for visa liberalisation have not yet been made, even in 2018 the report showing that Kosovo has met all the standards required.

Fear of migration has apparently made Kosovo not yet have liberalisation, but as the main obstacle remains the political issue of EU member states, which even do not recognise Kosovo's independence.

An EU official, under anonymous conditions, has told the news.net that Kosovo's visa liberalisation case has remained at the technical level within the European Council.

According to this official, it has discussed this issue to reach agreement to start discussions with the European Parliament, but sufficient compliance and support has yet to be achieved due to concerns posed by a number of member states concerning meeting the required standards.

“Dictions on the issue of visa liberalisation in the Kosovo case have remained at the technical level within the Council. Can't offer speculation that this issue can be sent to the ministerial level or a decision will be made about it. The proposal for enabling visa liberalisation to Kosovo was introduced by the European Commission to the European Council and Parliament in 2016, which was followed by a 2018 report showing that Kosovo has met all required standards. On the basis of that, the Council has discussed the issue to reach agreement to start discussions with the European Parliament. However, insufficient support has not been achieved due to concerns posed by a number of member states concerning meeting the required” standards, this European Union official has clarified about news.

On the other hand, Ciara Bottomley from the European Commission has told the news.net that Kosovo has fulfilled all the Visa Liberalisation Guide criteria and based on this, it has encouraged all to vote for visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

The “Commission confirmed in July 2018 that Kosovo met all visa Liberalisation Guide standards. Our assessment is still stable. After voting in the European Parliament, it is now up to European Union member states to move the issue forward. We encourage them to continue proceeding with the removal of visas for Kosovo”, Bottomley has said of news.net.

Days ago, the rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Violet Von Croamon, has responded to a tweeting post made from the “kosdata”, where only Kosovars are not reportedly free to move without visas to Europe.

According to Cremon, Kosovo would have visa liberalisation if the European Parliament had said the final word, but as it stressed, it is the president of the European Council who makes the decision.

People, I'm aware of that fact. Unfortunately, it's not up to me to decide. Believe me, if we in the European Parliament had the last word, Kosovo would have the same travel opportunities as all European states, but it is the president of the European Council who makes the decision”, Cromon wrote.

In Kosovo since Germany took over the presidency of the European Council, hopes had increased that within the six-month term, the final decision could be made, but still nothing has been done in that direction.

Although visa liberalisation has not taken place yet during this time while Germany is still at the helm of the European Council, Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, days ago declared to DW that his country is working intensively for the opening of intergovernmental conferences as well as for visa liberalisation with Kosovo, but until now it is not known whether these will be realised within this year.

There are still some places that have doubts. I can't give predictions on when visa liberalisation for Kosovo will be realised, but I can say it's a topic that we are intensively dealing with”, Maas has declared.

We stress that in addition to the five European Union member states that do not recognise Kosovo's independence, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain, France and the Netherlands in the process of liberalising the biggest visa is France and Germany, which until recently slowed down the process.

Kosovo citizens are the only ones in the region who cannot freely move towards the European Union countries.