Kosovar citizens can travel visa-free to the European Union from January 1 N1 on the side. Now the European Parliament's Home Affairs, Justice and Civil Rights Committee has recommended to the European Council to accept the proposal of Matthias Nemec, the rapporteur on the abolition of entry visas for Kosovar citizens holding Serbian passports.
The decision was taken by a majority of the committee members.
Of the 53 representatives present, 34 voted in favor of abolishing the visa requirement for holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Center, compared to 7 against and 12 against.
The vote was necessary because the January decision did not yet apply to Kosovo residents whose passports are issued by Serbia. Today, they are the only Europeans who cannot travel freely on the united continent. Now, following the Commission's decision, the proposal will be referred to representatives of the European Parliament, who will give their opinion on it in the plenary session on April 23.
If representatives support the proposal, EU ministers will have the final say on it In his council.
Matjaz Nemec, a Slovenian member of the European Parliament, welcomed the decision that paves the way for the last category of Western Balkan citizens to abolish the visa regime. He added that this decision means equal treatment and expands the right to visa exemption to include Kosovo Serb residents.
He warned that during the negotiations, several parties wanted to politicize this essentially technical issue.
According to the actor, the fact that relations between Serbia and Kosovo are not appropriate should not be ignored. Nemec pointed out that visa liberalization for Kosovo Serbs is not a solution to relations between the two parties or to normalize relations, but rather is merely a practical means to ensure equal treatment for all.
