“Finance has changed approach”, optimism for visa liberalisation in the first six months

From the ruling party say there are positive moves regarding France's approach to visa liberalisation, while opposition and connoisseurs of the process urge the executive to effectively lobby on Kosovo's sceptical states for visa liberalisation.

Vetevendosje Movement MP Arbene Kryeziu-Hyseni tells Kosovo that some EU states, including France, are no longer sceptical, as have been the past for visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

It stresses that relevant dictatorships have done extraordinary work to eliminate the dilemmas of skeptical countries, especially in the rule of law and fighting crime and corruption.

There's already a positive movement in the approach of France, because we know it was one of the most skeptical states. But there are some states that are no longer skeptical as they were in the past, at least this has been the position of the ministers of the line. It is becoming an extraordinary task of relevant ministries to eliminate those dilemmas France has had on certain issues that one of them is crime and corruption. We have seen that numerous actions have recently been taken by the UK police to fight crime and corruption. Fighting crime and corruption continues to be one of our top priorities on which we are showing that we are doing concrete action. [...] We've intensified dialogues, bilateral meetings with France, to show that we're willing to break this barrier built between states, because it's going to be a huge job in this direction, so I expect this intensifying to bring positive results from when France will take the lead and also change Kosovo's” position, she says.

LDK MP, at the same time chairman of the Commission for European Integration, Rzazarta Krasniqi, tells Kosovo that Kosovo has met all the criteria for visa liberalisation and already only has the government to work with sceptical countries.

We as a commission are trying to do the job as it should for Kosovars as soon as they move freely, as we are the only people in the Balkans who have no visa liberalisation. That we have met the criteria that have come out of the EU, the European Commission itself has said, but the biggest job remains the government, especially the Minister of Foreign Affairs and ambassadors, to lobby in the sceptical states for Kosovo and the prime minister to lobbie in the friendly states”, she declares.

Optimist for positive movement in 2022 is also university professor Arben Fetosti.

Depending on the dynamics that can characterize the EU in the internal plan, I think there may be a decoordination of Germany and France to include in the agenda the visa liberalisation issue, but this will not always depend. Since we must consider another context involving the German-French rivalry in the Western Balkans. This too needs to be considered to explain the context as far as visa liberalisation is concerned and the stance is in relation to the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process. If the new dynamics at the beginning of 2022 will lead to change the French stance so far, I believe there are no more procedures for the visa liberalisation issue to be included in the EU Council agenda”, he says.

Although Kosovo has met all criteria for visa liberalisation now and how many years and the European Parliament consistently approves reports of visa liberalisation, such is being blocked by the EU Council of Ministers.