EU ministers unanimously approve visa liberalisation for Kosovo

So it has been revealed through a Facebook post, the director of the Kosovo Institute for European Policy (EPIK), Demush Shasha.

A special feeling to see how a 10-year-old leg ends in 10 seconds of a meeting. Only approval is left at the European Parliament's plenary session, where almost unanimous support is expected again”, Shasha wrote.

Under this decision, the starting date for visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens will be the time when the country's authorisation and verification system (ETIAS) will be fully functional, or not later than January 1st of 2024.

It had been believed that the entry into force of this system would be November 1st of this year, but that deadline was extended for 2024.

The entry into force of this system next year is set as a new date on the official E system page TIAS.

When this system goes into effect, those who want to visit EU countries without visas must first register through it, and then receive a authorization which is valid for three years.

For this, citizens will have to pay 7 euros, but those under 18 and over 70 can do it for free.

Diplomats in the EU say that, currently, everything in the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo is going according to plan, and that next year's 1 January deadline remains.

Sources in the EU claim they already see no obstacle to this process, which is expected to be formally finalised by the end of the Swedish EU presidency, which ends 31 June.

The decision, they say, will be ready to enter into force, if not earlier, then January 1, 2024.