EU ambassadors approved visa liberalization for Kosovo

The ambassadors of the member states of the European Union approved the liberalization of visas for the citizens of Kosovo from January 1, 2024. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky, said that the Czech Presidency would now start negotiations with the European Parliament as the last step before the abolition of visas, Koha reports.

"Today we took an important step towards visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens and now we hope to reach an agreement with the European Parliament to make this promise a reality. Visa liberalization has become possible thanks to Kosovo's efforts to strengthen border control, migration management, and security, and we believe that this good cooperation will only strengthen in the future," Lipavsky said.

The draft allows citizens with Kosovo passports to travel visa-free in the EU for 90 days in a period of six months. Under current conditions, it is stated, visa liberalization would begin on the day the ETIAS system is launched and in no case later than January 1, 2024.

It was expected that the ambassador's decision would be made last week, but it was removed from the agenda "due to the situation in the north of Kosovo".

After the ambassadors have finished voting, the question of visa liberalization goes to the European Parliament and the European Commission. But, as Koha states, both of them have declared themselves in favor of visa liberalization for Kosovo.