Statement by Romeo Franz, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, and Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, European Parliament's Rapporteur for Kosovo, following the Council's decision regarding the visa-free regime for citizens of Kosovo
Romeo Franz and Viola von Cramon-Taubadel welcome the adoption of the Council's negotiating mandate by EU Member States' ambassadors, as a crucial step towards enabling visa-free travel for citizens of Kosovo.
Following the agreement reached in the Council, Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA, Germany), Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, and Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (Greens/EFA, Germany), European Parliament's Rapporteur for Kosovo, issued the following statement on Wednesday:
"We warmly welcome the long-overdue decision of the EU member states' ambassadors who agreed today the Council's negotiating mandate on a regulation on visa free travel for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. While we are happy that compromise has been found in the Council, we deeply regret that it comes very late, as Kosovo had fulfilled all the required benchmarks more than four years ago. The recent linkage of the visa liberalisation issue to the implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System has only exacerbated frustrations.
It is important to underline that today's decision resonates the unequivocal and longstanding position of the European Parliament in favour of visa liberalisation for Kosovo, which has also been mirrored in the Recommendations of the EU-Kosovo Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, most recently the ones adopted unanimously in Pristina in early November.
Citizens of Kosovo deserve visa liberalisation. Young Kosovars in particular should enjoy the same opportunities to travel that are available to other young Europeans, including their peers in the Western Balkans. Visas are costly, and the procedure is often time-consuming and unpredictable. We are therefore confident that the negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament, as co-legislators, will be swift and lead to adoption as soon as possible."
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP