Government lobbie EU member states for visa liberalisation

Although Kosovo has already met all criteria for visa liberalisation defined by the European Commission, according to them, the Government should focus its lobbiing on EU member states, each separately.

They have described Kosovo's situation in terms of visa liberalisation as very unfair.

Institute Director Kosovo's EPIK, Demush Shasha, is seeing key process of progress in dialogue, including visa liberalisation.

According to the ministry's former secretary for European Integration, no miracle can be expected in the short term, as he says local elections in Kosovo, and the presidential ones in Serbia cannot bring progress in these processes.

“Progress in the context of dialogue is key, whether in terms of visa liberalisation or the issue of obtaining a candidate country, whether our advancement in organisations such as the United Nations or NATO. Therefore its importance cannot be overestimated, in this context we should be optimistic, as we are seeing a daily and growing co-ordination between the US and the EU. No miracle should be expected, in the short term, since we too have local elections, and in Serbia the presidential ones, so until these electoral cycles are completed, no progress should be expected, so more progress can be expected in the latter part of next year, or in 2023, there should be no real expectations of”.

Even Kosovo Alliance for the Future MP Time Kadriaj is considering injustice to Kosovo, non-liberalisation, while there has been criticism of the country's government for the dismissal of ambassadors.

The “is a huge injustice that is being done to Kosovo and by this government with all diplomatic scandals it is doing in the international arena on the issue of foreign affairs, the dismissal of ambassadors and many European countries are left without representation, because they are lobbiing for membership of international organisations, but also for visa liberalisation by defending Kosovo's right to visa liberalisation issue”.

She has stressed that Kosovo is the most pro-European and pro-American country, until she adds there is no reason to be isolated.

Kadrijaj is asking the country's government to focus on lobby of EU member states.

Kosovo has met the conditions and criteria, and is supposed to have visa liberalisation. It is a right of Kosovo to have visa liberalisation because, it is meaningless because Kosovo is the most pro-European and pro-American country, so Europe has no right to keep Kosovo isolated”.

The government's “profile now should focus on lobby of the member states of the European Union separately, because the European Parliament Commission has given many times the green light has been voted more than twice and it is now in lobe countries apart from”.

Even European mechanisms have confirmed that Kosovo has met the criteria for liberalisation, but to happen, each of the EU member states on the European Council must confirm visa liberalisation for Kosovo. Portugal has received the Council's leadership since January.

Meanwhile, Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that still does not enjoy the right to free movement in the Schengen area.