13 minutes agoCroatia clear: Kosovo has met criteria for liberalisation
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)The issue of visa liberalisation for Kosovo seems to be forgotten in the EU, and few mention at this time when the European Union faces other topics and challenges, from the multi-year budget to efforts to make a positive decision to start membership negotiations with Albania and Macedonia [...]
There has been a time since a status quo was created in the EU in which the European Commission, the European Parliament and most member states are of the opinion that Kosovo has fulfilled all the necessary criteria and must have visa liberalisation, but there is no proper support for this liberalisation to occur, writes today “Koha Ditore<1>.
During Finland's chairmanship, the subject was not found at all in the order of the day, even though Finland had a very positive attitude and was willing to do so. Orders from some countries were not to be put on a daily basis, for they would reject it and then further delay the process.
The EU's inability to liberalise visas with Kosovo has become due to disappointments in Kosovo. Even Kosovo President Hashim Thaci does not hold a meeting without mentioning this disappointment of Kosovars and demanding that liberalisation finally occur.
Thaci did so on Sunday evening in Brussels, where he attended a working dinner of leaders of new EU institutions and those of Western Balkan countries. The meeting was called by European Council President Charles Michel, and was attended by European Commission Chairman Ursula va honour Lyeyn, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkov, and EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell...
