7 minutes agoUniversity professors optimistic that visas for Kosovars be removed this year
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)The visa liberalisation issue will be discussed at the European Council's Co-operative Group meeting on 13 October. Thus has the Czech Presidency announced, which through a letter sent to EU member states reportedly the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo is extremely late. Meanwhile, integration connoisseurs estimate that up to [...]
Visa liberalisation for Kosovo will be in order of the day at the European Council Co-operative Group meeting on 13 October. The Czech presidency through a letter it has sent to EU member states is said to be a key element in Kosovo's EU integration process that is already extremely late. In addition to the letter, Kosovo is said to be the only Western Balkan country that has not yet secured the visa-free regime with the EU.
International relations recognisers are optimistic that visa liberalisation will occur this year. The professor of diplomacy and international negotiation at the University of Paris, Valon Murtezaj, has told Radio Kosovo that Kosovo has long fulfilled all the criteria, and according to him in autumn of this year the decision can be made.
Kosovo has long met all the technical and other criteria which have been on the EU guide, so it is the last moment the EU has offered Kosovo citizens freedom of movement. In the fall of this year, therefore, the main decision can be made, meaning that Kosovo citizens will be removed visas”, Murtezaj said.
Political science professor Ertero Arifii has declared that decision can be made this year, while visas will be removed next year.
The visa liberalisation process can occur, I don't think that at the end of this year, but that at least this year the decision on visa removal will be made, Arifi said.
Lulzim Peci from KIPRED has declared that because of France's stance, which was once opposed to visa liberalisation, and now supporting it, the visa regime could happen soon for Kosovars.
I think this is going to happen this year, since France has changed its attitude and I don't think any big problems are expected. It is not now the political problem, now it is a procedural issue within the EU, Peci added.
So far, the European Commission has recommended several times that Kosovo liberalise visas, as according to this Commission Kosovo has met the criteria required by the European Union. Nevertheless, Kosovo remains the only state in the Western Balkans, which has no visa liberalisation with the EU.
