The European Commission confirms: Kosovo should be removed visas

According to EU sources in Brussels, this year's reports will be a mix of positive elements, but also concerns about lack of progress in some areas, as well as some failures.

The European Commission is expected to mention the launch of EU membership negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia as the main positive development in the bloc's enlargement process with the Western Balkan region.

For years, these two candidate states have been awaiting the start of negotiations, even though, according to the European Commission, all conditions have been met.

Greece has removed the last obstacle to northern Macedonia in summer, which has had to deal with some disagreement beats language and identity. Consequently, the route has opened for Albania as well, since the two countries have been in the package since the beginning.

The European Commission is expected to confirm through the progress report that Kosovo continues to meet the conditions for visa liberalisation with European countries, and that the Commission remains in the position that visas for Kosovo citizens should be abolished.

Such a thing, the Commission has expressed it in a letter sent to member states last week, on the eve of discussions that will be held on 13 October in the visa processing group at the EU Council.

Political orders for the Balkan region are expected, as well, for the Commission to invite Kosovo and Serbia to make progress in dialogue on normalising relations, which would lead to reaching a comprehensive agreement.

For almost all states of the region, the call for more progress in fighting organised crime and corruption is expected to be repeated for strengthening rule of law, for judicial reforms and for media freedom.

Although there is some kind of progress in these areas, the European Commission estimates that in most cases implementation of reforms is in the initial phase.

The Commission will also report to these documents the challenges of the countries of the region in providing electricity, as well as their co-operation with the EU in this direction.

The biggest concern of diplomats in Brussels is how the European Commission will formulate the criticism it will make to Serbia, due to its incompatible positions with EU foreign policy, the failure to impose sanctions against Russia, respectively, due to Ukraine's invasion.

Serbia is the only Balkan region country and, along with Turkey, the only country involved in the EU enlargement process, has not supported the bloc's sanctions against Russia. It is expected that in the progress report, the Commission will mark this as Serbia's failure.

Another regional country, which will have particular focus on the enlargement package this year, is Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The European Commission is expected to express disappointment over the failure of political forces in this country to reach an agreement on electoral system reforms, as well as limited constitutional reforms.

For this reason, on Election Day in this state, on October 2nd, the international community's high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, has been forced to use its competencies and impose certain changes.

Annual progress reports analyse in detail each country's achievements in the areas and chapters of EU membership negotiations.

The countries of the region are at different stages in the enlargement process. Montenegro has advanced the most and has opened all negotiation chapters.

Serbia follows as a state that is in the negotiations process, but this year it has not opened, so far, no new chapter.

Albania and Northern Macedonia have just started negotiations, while Bosnia and Herzegovina has applied for EU membership, but has not yet received a positive opinion from the European Commission on granting candidate country status.

Kosovo is the only country of the Western Balkan region, which has not yet applied for EU membership.

The Kosovo government has warned it will make formal application this year, but in the EU they are not sure how they will act, as Kosovo is not recognised as a state by five member states, while decisions in the enlargement process are taken with full consensus.

Turkey is another EU membership candidate country for which the progress report will also be approved. But with this state, the negotiation process is frozen, and the Commission, for several years in a row, has reported that Turkey has marked a setback in meeting the conditions for membership and its approach to European standards.

In June, three Eastern European neighbourhood states are included in the enlargement process. Ukraine and Moldova have received candidate status, while Georgia has been promised “European perspective”. / REL