The issue of visa liberalization for Kosovo will be on the agenda at the European Council working group meeting on October 13, EU diplomatic sources in Brussels confirm.

The Czech Presidency of the EU has already sent a letter to member states as a warning for discussions on this topic. According to Radio Free Europe, desire is clearly expressed by the Czech Republic for all EU member states to reach an internal consensus to support visa liberalization for Kosovo.

In this letter, the Czech Republic refers to the foreign policy reasons for visa liberalization for Kosovo, recalling that the European Commission has also confirmed that Kosovo has met the conditions.

“Since the Czech Presidency thinks that the reasons related to foreign policy for visa liberalization for Kosovo are convincing, it hopes that all EU member states will reach an internal political agreement on this issue”, this document states. 

The Czech Presidency mentions the liberalization of visas for Kosovo as an example of how the EU can increase credibility in the region.

“The liberalization of visas is a key element in the process of Kosovo’s integration into the EU, which is already long overdue. Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans (and one of the few countries in Europe) that has not yet secured the visa-free regime with the EU. This fact has a significant negative impact on the atmosphere in the country and on the attitudes of the citizens of Kosovo regarding the correctness and credibility of the EU”, the letter reads.

According to it, the Czech Presidency believes that this update will be positive and that it will confirm the results of the Commission’s findings in 2018.

/Klara Ruci/