Kosovo visa liberalisation, ahead of EU vote tomorrow vote in LIBE

Voting the visa liberalisation file for Kosovo was planned for today, but it was put on tomorrow's LIBE agenda.

European Parliament spokesman Janne Ojamo has said that instead of today, the LIBE vote on this matter tomorrow.

The “instead of today will happen tomorrow, but again this week”, he said February.

In the agenda published by the European Parliament, the point for Kosovo is the first to be considered tomorrow (Enter Report Express).

“Vises for third places (Kosovo*). The draft recommendation vote for second reading. Reporter: Thjis Reuten”

On January 12th of this year, LIBE had voted for visa liberalisation. Meanwhile, for the second vote tomorrow, Ojamo had said in an earlier reply that this procedure must take place again.

The Council recently approved the visa liberalisation agreement, and because it is a second reading agreement (the position of Parliament was adopted in 2019 prior to previous elections), we need to cast it back into the LIBE to approve the position of the Council”, he had said.

For visa liberalisation, the European Parliament will also vote. According to an agenda, the EP vote will take place 18 April.

Under the EU institutions' decision, lifting visas for Kosovo would be implemented since the date the European Information System and Travel Authority (ETIAS) was to take effect in November this year. But this chance has been lost since ETIAS' function has been postponed for 2024. However, Kosovars will be able to travel freely from January 1st, 2024.

The recent approval of the Council of Ministers on the issue had considered the Dutch Eurodeput, Thijs Reuten, who was also appointed a visa rapporteur.

The next “will be approval in the European Parliament, expected to take place in April. There will be no more changes to the content of the agreement. This means that visa liberalisation will enter into force either at the same time as ETIAS or on January 1st, 2024. This means that no further than next year, Kosovo will eventually have the well-deserved and delayed visa-free travel to the EU”, he had told Express.

After voting even in the EP, the remaining steps for this process are:

The legal act must be signed by representatives of EU institutions: European Commission, European Council, European Commission, European Parliament

Decision Must Be Publicized in Official Journal

Visa liberalisation comes into force in agreed deadline