Today visa liberalisation vote, tomorrow signing

The European Parliament today votes the decision on visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens, with what procedures on the issue approach the end.

A day later, on April 19th, the legal act for visa liberalisation will be signed, while the only step that must be taken after that is publishing the decision in the EU Official Journal and entering into force.

The EU Council of Ministers has approved visa liberalisation for Kosovo with a simple majority last month.

It is now clear that the implementation of the decision will not be postponed further than January 1st of 2024.

This issue has been connected to the system ETIAS travel to Europe, with its entry into force, respectively.

Since the deadline for ETIAS functionalisation has been extended to 2024, visa removal for Kosovo citizens is expected to take place on 1 January next year.

In the European Parliament, no problem is expected during the vote, as a large majority of MPs support visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

In fact, the European Parliament has been the institution of the EU, which has largely supported the free movement of Kosovo citizens and has repeatedly reproved the EU Council and the European Commission for, as it said, unnecessary delays in the process.

The legal act for visa liberalisation for Kosovo is expected to be signed by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and Sweden's Minister for Europe Jessica Roswall, whose country currently heads the EU Council.

Kosovo's first deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi, and Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervala, are also invited to attend the signing ceremony.

Visa liberalisation will enable Kosovo citizens to travel freely to what is known as the Schengen area, consisting of 27 European states.

This regime allows visa-free travel to up to 90 days within six months of the Schengen area member states.

Visa-free travel should serve for tourist visits, family or similar issues, and in no case does it mean work permits or other benefits.

Kosovo, currently, is the only country in the Western Balkans whose citizens cannot move freely into the Schengen area.

This, despite the fact that the European Commission, since 2018, has confirmed several times that Kosovo has met all the conditions for visa liberalisation, but have been some member states that have consistently expressed reservations.