The European Council has decided to lift visa requirements for Kosovars holding Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.

The decision was made by foreign ministers during the last meeting of this semester. With this decision, all legislative processes have concluded.

Once it takes effect—expected to be on the 20th day after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU—the decision will be implemented across all EU member states.

“Today, the EU Council approved a regulation ensuring that the entire Western Balkans region is subject to the same visa regime, removing the previous exemption for holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate,” stated an EU declaration.

The procedures for lifting the visa regime for Kosovars with Serbian passports began following the visa liberalization for Kosovo on January 1st of this year.

With the removal of visa requirements for Kosovars, those holding only passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate—operating within the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Belgrade—were the only ones in the region still needing visas to travel within the Schengen Area.

The European Commission proposed lifting the visa requirements in November of the previous year. The European Parliament voted on the issue in April of this year.

These decisions have elicited reactions from the Kosovo government. Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi stated in November 2023 that “recognizing these documents undermines the integration of the Serbian community” and “damages our long-standing efforts [to integrate Serbs].”

Kosovo does not recognize these passports, and their holders cannot use them to fly from Pristina Airport. /REL/

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