Kosovo Serb passport owners vote 9 April

Visa liberalisation for Serbian passport owners in Kosovo will be put to the polls at the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament on Tuesday, April 9th.

The vote on the Committee for Civil Freedoms, Justice and Home Affairs is the first step towards making the visa-free decision for Kosovo citizens, who possess only passports issued by Serbian organs.

Visa rapporteur, Eurodeput Matjazh Nemec, teaches that all decision-making procedures in the European Parliament will be completed by the end of April, prior to the distribution of parliament's current composition, since European elections are held in June.

After visa liberalisation for Kosovo, the citizens of the country who own only Serbian passports remained the only ones in the Western Balkans who do not enjoy freedom of movement in the Schengen area.

That is why in November last year the European Commission proposed lifting visas for this category as well.

Conform this recommendation began procedures. The visa rapporteur was appointed, and the file is now going through voting procedures in the European Parliament, which appears to be completed by the end of this month.

After approval in Parliament, the file passes to the European Union ministers, since decision on visa liberalisation requires the consent of two institutions.

Only after completing procedures on both institutions can the decision be published in the official newspaper along with the date when Kosovo citizens who possess only Serbia's passports can enjoy free movement./rtclives