Eurodeputs call on ECA to liberalise Kosovo visas without delay

Eurodeputs have called on the European Council to liberalise Kosovo visas without any delay.

The call came in a report on co-operation in the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans, where Eurodeputs also urged governments in the region to significantly step up their efforts to move ahead with reforms in the area of rule of law and the fight against corruption and organised crime.

The EU, according to the eurodeputs, should support these efforts through financial assistance and practical co-operation.

The report, adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday by 60 votes, 4 against and 6 abstentions, says Western Balkan countries are countries of origin, destination and transit for human trafficking and they serve as a transit corridor for migrants and refugees. and as a country for money laundering and arms trafficking, a European Parliament communiqué is said.

However, Eurodeputs stress that the fight against organised crime and EU integration are mutual strengthening processes, urging the EU to speed up the integration process. In this context, as isolation encourages criminal activities, the Eurodeputs called on the Council to approve visa liberalisation for Kosovo without further delays.

Rapporteur Lucas Mandl said organised crime should be served as a touch-up by the EU to delay the integration processes of the Western Balkans, but to come to their aid.

The organized “crime undermines citizens' trust in their public institutions and in each other. That is why it is a major obstacle to the efforts of societies in the Western Balkans to develop their states and economies. The EU should not use organised crime as an excuse to delay the enlargement process, but must stand by the citizens of the Western Balkans in their fight against organised crime”.