Kosovo citizens were disappointed on Thursday after unexpected new criteria were mentioned at a meeting of a European Union working group on visa liberalisation for the Balkan state’s passport holders.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Czech EU presidency said that the EU Council Visa Working Party “broadly welcomed the reopening of the discussion on the subject and generally supported the visa liberalisation process” for Kosovo.

But the statement added: “In order to progress … it will be necessary to clarify a number of related topics and continue discussion.”

It was reported that the next meeting on the issue will be held on November 9.

Local media have reported that some member states have proposed to link the visa liberalisation process with EU’s ETIAS system, which is expected to be launched by November 2023.

ETIAS is a travel authorisation for non-EU nationals who do not need a visa for the Schengen Area and has been developed so that travellers from these countries can continue to travel visa-free, while at the same time improving border management and security across Europe.