Bilcik: Visa liberalization applies to everyone, it should not be conditioned by additional documents

Reporter of the European Parliament for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik, stated that visa liberalization applied to all people living in Kosovo, regardless of their nationality.

In response to Kosovo Online's question regarding the call from the Government of Kosovo to the EU to reconsider the decision to abolish visas for Serbian passports from Kosovo, Bilcik emphasized that it was natural for liberalization not to be conditioned by additional documents.

"Visa liberalization applies to all people living in Kosovo, regardless of their nationality, as long as they reside in Kosovo. Therefore, it is natural for liberalization not to be conditioned by additional documents," Bilcik stated.

The Government of Kosovo sent a letter to EU officials regarding the European Commission's proposal to allow citizens of Kosovo with passports issued by Serbia to travel without visas. The letter stated that Kosovo Serbs were increasingly obtaining Kosovo passports this year since Kosovo had gained the right to a visa-free regime.

The letter also mentioned that passports issued by the Coordination Body of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior or, as they claim, the "illegal institution," posed a risk of inaccurate data and compromised security for which Kosovo could not be held responsible.

Albanian and Serbian civil society organizations in Kosovo are divided on the European Commission's proposal. One side argues that it harms the integration of Kosovo Serbs, while Serbian non-governmental organizations in Kosovo support the abolition of visas for Kosovo citizens with Serbian passports.