Nemec: It is unacceptable for a small group of people in the Western Balkans to remain discriminated against

Member of the European Parliament Matjaz Nemec, who was the rapporteur for the abolition of visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo issued by Serbia’s Coordination Directorate, tells Kosovo Online that it was unacceptable for him that a small group of people in the Western Balkans remained discriminated against, while the EU finally introduced visa liberalization for all countries in the region this year.

"I argued that this was primarily a technical, not a political decision. For me, it is unacceptable that a small group of people in the Western Balkans remains discriminated against, while we in the European Union finally abolished visas for all countries in the region this year," Nemec said, after the regulation on the abolition of visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo issued by Serbia’s Coordination Directorate was signed the day before.

Nemec reminds that Kosovo was the last in the region for which the European Union gave the "green light" for liberalization as of January 1 this year, after many years of waiting.

He added that he had the honor to attend the signing of the regulation yesterday.

As he explained, the next step is for the regulation to be published in the official journal of the European Union, and after 20 days, it will officially come into effect.

The regulation was signed yesterday by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Hungarian Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka, as the representative of the country presiding over the EU Council.

On July 22, the EU Council made the decision to abolish visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo issued by Serbia’s Coordination Directorate, thus completing the legislative process on this issue in the EU. The European Parliament adopted this decision on April 23, based on Nemec's proposal.