European Parliament: Visa liberalization approved for Serbs from Kosovo

The decision on visa liberalization for passports issued by the Coordination Directorate for Kosovo and Metohija has just been adopted at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

406 members of parliament voted in favor, 97 against, and 94 abstained.

The next and final step is confirmation by the Council of Ministers of the EU.

"This decision is to enable a better life for Serbs, as 18,000 people hold special passports, and they are the last group of citizens in the Western Balkans without visa liberalization, and there is no justification for that," Nemec said before the start of the vote today.

After the EP adopted the decision on visa liberalization, Nemec emphasized that this, as he stated, technical decision was not an attempt to resolve the dispute between Serbia and Kosovo but a pragmatic solution to ensure equal treatment.

"Extending EU visa liberalization to Serbian residents of Kosovo is important to prevent discrimination against these citizens, who are still the only category of Western Balkan residents still requiring a visa to travel to the Schengen area. This technical decision is not an attempt to resolve the dispute between Serbia and Kosovo but a pragmatic solution to ensure equal treatment. Now that the proposal has been adopted in Parliament, I hope the law will be finalized quickly before the EU elections," Nemec said.

Let us remind that the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted on April 9 a draft report on visa liberalization for holders of these passports, submitted by EP member and rapporteur for visa abolition for Serbs from Kosovo, Matjaz Nemec.

During the session, which lasts from April 22 to 25, European parliamentarians will also vote on the establishment of the Instrument for Reform and Growth for the Western Balkans, offering the region, including Serbia, six billion euros in additional financial assistance from 2024 to 2027.