Reuten: Kosovo visa negotiations start before Christmas

Thijs Reuten, European Parliament rapporteur for visa liberalisation for Kosovo, expresses his stance on negotiations with the Czech presidency, which will lead to the final decision on the short-term visa-free movement for Kosovo citizens in the Schengen area.

Reuten, in an interview for “A BC News Albania” says negotiations with the Czech presidency will begin before Christmas to complete as soon as possible.

Eurodeput also stops on the system E TIAS, in his view, was a new rule that was set in the middle of a game. But Reuten stresses he wants to fight for candidate countries not paying for ETIAS for long-term visas.

Question: European Union ambassadors approved a negotiating mandate for Kosovo's short-term visa-free movement. Now the Czech presidency must negotiate with the European Parliament. You are the European Parliament rapporteur for visa liberalisation for Kosovo. First, how do you see the ambassador's decision?

Reuten: It's amazing that this deal has finally been reached. It is a long-term obligation to Kosovo. It is a decision that should have been taken many years ago, as Kosovo has fulfilled criteria for many years. I'm glad we took this step. The Czech presidency has established contact with my office. Clearly, the European Parliament will not be the blocking factor.

We are willing to negotiate as soon as possible, hope before Christmas to move forward and finish this process. We must ensure that Kosovo citizens benefit from visa liberalisation as soon as possible. I hope, at last, this country that was left out of visa liberalisation will benefit from this. It's positive news. We need this.

We need good news in the Western Balkans, as it is imperative that we approach the region with us as soon as possible and set that way for EU membership when conditions are met. This step is truly historic, as it will enable Kosovars to travel more easily to meet with their family and visit EU states, but also. But also the opposite. There will be more contacts, more interactions, that's really important and we need this.

Question: One of the concerns expressed on this decision was the link between the entry into force of the visa liberalisation decision for Kosovo and the E system. TIAS. What do you think of that?

Reuten: Personally, I think, ETIAS is another example of how a new rule is put in place in the middle of a game. This was not what European Parliament asked for. We expected this step in time and had no hope of putting new conditions on the table. E TIAS illustrates just one of those conditions. But now let's give our blessing to the decision, because we have a historic decision for Kosovars. We will finally have visa liberalisation for Kosovars. We hope that ETIAS will enter into force as soon as possible, as now that the issue is related to the ETIAS we have to make sure that Kosovo's citizens benefit as soon as possible. In all cases, not later than January 2024, but hopefully before that date.

It wasn't my choice for the process to be related to ETIAS. ETIAS even becomes a problem for other countries in the region, as it is a new type of burden for visa application at a certain cost. I didn't choose this, so I'm gonna have to fight for it. My proposal is to rule out candidate countries and Kosovo, which is drawing closer to the EU, from the 7 euro payments when they apply for a visa, as candidate countries must have other treatment from other countries in the world.

Question: As European Parliament rapporteur, will you change the date of entry into force? Do you have the mandate to change the date, since it will complicate the process even if you want to?

Reuten: That's a fair point. As I said, we as the European Parliament are committed to visa liberalisation for Kosovo. What we do not want is to create a situation where there is further delay of the process. So we want to do it as soon as possible. If there is an opportunity to improve the proposal a little bit, I will, but always considering the perspective of citizens in Kosovo, as they deserve it. They deserve it for years, but now we have to do it as soon as possible.

Question: How long is this procedure?

Reuten: That depends on the speed each actor does his own job with. We'll do it as soon as possible. We will begin discussions with the Czech presidency, hopefully before Christmas. After that we will urge all to advance as soon as possible. Even if it's not in my power, it will push the parties forward so that the decision can be made as soon as possible.