EU Ambassadors Reach Agreement on EC Negotiating Mandatory Visa-Free Travel for Kosovo

The European Union countries' ambassadors have agreed on a European Council negotiating mandate for visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens.

A statement issued by the Council of the European Union confirmed such a declaration, as did the fact that the president will immediately begin negotiations with the European Parliament.

“The draft rules would allow Kosovo passport holders to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. Under the Council position, the exemption from the visa requirement would apply from the start date for the operation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and in any case no later than 1 January 2024,” Czechia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, pointed out in this regard.

Concerning the subject, Jorn Rohde, the German Ambassador to Kosovo, stated that Germany is committed to such a resolution, emphasising that Germany has aggressively lobbied for such a decision.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the European Union Member States had agreed that Kosovo's long-desired visa liberalisation would take effect on January 1, 2024.

The deal was struck during a conference in Brussels, according to a prior report by Radio Free Europe.

The issue of visa liberalisation in Kosovo was on the agenda of the European Council working group for the first time on October 13, then again on November 9.

The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union stated before of the October 13 meeting that the problem was pushed to be completed by the end of this year.

The visa liberalisation procedure for Kosovo citizens began on February 19, 2012, however it has yet to be completed, despite the fact that the European Commission judged in 2018 that the country met all of the necessary standards.

Previously, French officials advocated that the procedure of visa-free movement for Kosovo citizens be linked to the functionalization of the European Travel Information and Authorisation Process.

Furthermore, it was stated that at least four European Union countries, including Spain, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands, supported such a French proposal.

By fLEXI tEAM