8 minutes agoReporter appointed for visa removal for Serbian passport owners in Kosovo
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)The European representative, Matjazh Nemec, was appointed rapporteur for lifting visas for Kosovo citizens who are owners of passports from Serbia. He confirmed the appointment through social networks and said he expects a quick decision to cancel visas for Kosovo Serbs, who have passports issued by Serbian authorities. Citizens of [...]
He confirmed the appointment through social networks and said he expects a quick decision to cancel visas for Kosovo Serbs, who have passports issued by Serbian authorities.
Citizens of Kosovo who possess passports from the Republic of Kosovo enjoy the visa-free regime as of January 1st this year.
But from this decision were expelled those citizens who own passports issued by the Co-ordination Authority, which operates within the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. They were expelled even when visas were lifted for Serbia's citizens in December 2009.
With the decision to annul visas for Kosovo, citizens who have only Serbian passports remain the only ones in the Western Balkans who do not enjoy visa-free regimes with European countries.
In November 2023, the European Commission proposed launching procedures for the involvement of Kosovo citizens with passports from Serbia in visa liberalisation.
The Kosovo government voiced opposition, saying it is concerned about such a proposal without consultations or preliminary announcements.
Official Pristina does not recognise the Serbian passports of the Co-ordination Authority, because it considers they are issued by an illegal institution.
“Recognition of these documents violates the integration of the Serb community, damages our long-term efforts [for the integration of Serbs]”, Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi wrote on Facebook on 21 November.
He also said that members of the Serb community with Kosovo passports would be able to move freely into the area of European states, known as Schengen.
The decision to abolish or not visas is made by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
The European Parliament wraps up its work in April, as the institution enters pre-election campaign for European elections to be held in June.
It remains unclear whether there will be enough time to respect all procedures for the decision to be taken during the current mandate of the European Parliament. rel
