Austrian Eurodeput Lajcak of Borrell: When it comes to both sides, it should be seen that Kosovo is on track towards European integration

During the European Parliament's session for the Kosovo report, Mandl has said visa liberalisation for Kosovo is not a reason to celebrate, but a lesson.

“In a terrible way we Europeans have understood what the difference between aggressors and victims is and it's even more important when we look at European history, when we talk about Kosovo, because it's a country that has to be released and paid a high price just for its existence, and for this reason, it's even more surprising that Kosovo citizens, who are more optimistic, more likely to be able to travel to the future, that's what we see from studies, and in September last year, in 2022, they applied for membership in the European Union, on January 1st and 2024, will be able to travel to the EU without a visa. This is not a reason to celebrate, but rather it is a lesson, we have to learn lessons, because often it takes a long time to resolve bureaucracy and make the decision”, he said.

In addition, the Austrian Eurodeput has called on European Union senior representatives Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak to see that Kosovo is on its way to European integration.

“It has taken a long time to get visa-free travel and should not last so long and Kosovo's membership in the EU, it has high standards for the rule of law in the Western Balkans and religious freedom of religion is very modern in the constitution, and so the commissioner, please stop talking about both sides when talking about dialogue, I would also ask High Representative Borrell and also Lajcak when we talk about Kosovo and Serbia to see that Kosovo is on the path to European integration”, he added.