The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon, said that a decision on the liberalization of visas for Kosovo is expected to be taken in the middle of November or the beginning of December, stressing that she hopes that this decision will be positive.
During a media conference in Pristina on October 24, Von Cramon said that he hopes that no conditions will be imposed or that the visa liberalization process will be linked to any new European Union methodology.
“The decision will be sometime in the middle of November or the beginning of December. But the question is, will it lead to a new system of conditions for visas, which would be completely unfair, or will we eventually see a date for visas,” she said.
During the meeting of a visa working group at the Council of the EU, held on October 13, French officials are reported to have requested that the visa process for Kosovo be linked to the operationalization of the system for security in Europe, ETIAS.
ETIAS is the European travel authorization and information system. This electronic system enables the verification of the data of citizens of third countries, who do not need a visa, to enter the Schengen Area.
The legal procedure to approve this system started in 2016, and the system is expected to be fully operational by 2023 – with no exact date.
Von Cramon said that Kosovo has met all the criteria for visas and the decision on this matter is delayed, but added that the delays are “unfair” for the citizens of Kosovo, who are the only ones in the region who cannot travel without visas in the Zone Schengen.
Franco-German proposal, “good opportunity”
The rapporteur for Kosovo in the EP also spoke about the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Von Cramon said that Kosovo should support a proposal by France and Germany, which is said to be aimed at pushing Pristina on the European path.
“I want to comment on the new Franco-German initiative. It is seen that there is new progress. It is a new spirit in the whole process. We are seeing that on both sides, both in Belgrade and in Pristina, people have realized that it is time, it is the moment to reach, if not a final agreement, at least a package that would be acceptable to both the parties”, she said.
According to her, even if this agreement does not foresee 100 percent of Kosovo’s demands in the dialogue, it is better to win “90 percent” now and the state moves forward, but added that this is her recommendation and that it remains for the leaders in Kosovo to decide on this issue.
“Many people have written about this Franco-German proposal, which is a great opportunity, and I would ask everyone who is in power and who can make decisions, to carefully consider these proposals. I think this is a great opportunity for both sides to move forward towards European integration, which I think is absolutely necessary. Kosovo, as the most pro-European decision, should support this,” Von Cramon said.
France and Germany have been reported to have offered a proposal to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, for pushing forward the dialogue process.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has said that this proposal consists of his country not hindering Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, including the United Nations, in exchange for a quick membership of Serbia in the EU.
Even the envoy of the United States for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has expressed support for this initiative, saying that it would unblock the path of Kosovo and Serbia towards Euro-Atlantic integration.
Kosovo and Serbia have started the dialogue process for the normalization of relations in 2011, with the mediation of the EU. Prishtina wants this process to end with an agreement that would include mutual recognition, but Serbia wants a compromise solution, without indicating what kind of compromise it is.
