Serbia urges EC to lift visas, even for Kosovo Serbs

For this reason, Serbia has asked the European Commission to abolish the visa obligation decision for Kosovo Serbs, who have passports issued by the Co-ordination Administration in Belgrade, which operates within the Serbian Interior Ministry, has told “Kosovo Onlain” Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Serbian MPJ, “diplomatic and other representatives of Serbia are in regular contact with European Commission representatives concerning travel documents issued by the Co-ordination Administration for Citizens residing in Kosovo”.

This ministry has also said that after the EU institutions' decision to abolish visas for Kosovo citizens, Serbia's institutions have launched intensified discussions with the European Commission on travel documents issued by the Co-ordination Administration.

“The position of the Republic of Serbia on this issue is quite clear to citizens who are carrying the documents of the trip mentioned above cannot and dare not be discriminated against, and the obligation to have EU travel visas must be removed”, says Serbian MPJ, according to “Kosova Onlaj”.

Furthermore, this minister stresses that “in the formal sense, the decision-making procedure for these travel documents is not directly linked to the liberalisation of the visa regime for Kosovo”, writes Kosova Online.

EU “Institutions must make a separate decision and change the existing rule, which refers to the Republic of Serbia. We expect, as the European Commission representatives have been forwarded, that the decision to have visas for this category be abolished”, Serbia's Foreign Ministry has said, according to “Kosovo Onlain”.

We remember that the following week, the European Parliament made the final decision to abolish visa demand during the trips of Kosovo citizens to the Schengen area.

EU institutions have been clear as to Kosovo Serb citizens who own Serbia's passports. For them, liberalization is not worthwhile.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, following the signing ceremony of the visa-free decision Wednesday in Strasbourg, has called on Kosovo Serb citizens to be equipped with Kosovo state passports in order to enjoy the right to visa-free travel.

Official data for the first three months of 2023 shows that the number of Serbian citizens from the northern part of Kosovo, which is being equipped with Kosovo's passport, according to the REL.