Kosovo
EU Commission must immediately launch visa liberalisation dialogue
Ahead of this week's European Commission Delegation visit to Kosovo, Austrian Green MEP Ulrike Lunacek European Parliament Kosovo Rapporteur and a Greens/EFA Group spokesperson on foreign affairs commented:
"The EU Commission delegation visit to Kosovo represents the first concrete step in the direction of visa liberalisation for the country. The Commission should take into account the concrete steps Pristina's government has made in defining a roadmap towards this goal.
Kosovo's citizens risk being left behind their neighbours in terms of their freedom to travel. Visa-free travel has been established for citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia and is likely to be secured for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania by the middle of this year.
The Kosovo government must of course meet all relevant European criteria. This will take time but I have seen the will of Kosovo authorities to do so.
I therefore urge all parties involved to start the process and immediately work closely together to define a clear roadmap with the aim of ensuring visa-free travel for the citizens of Kosovo as soon as possible."
