The Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, stated that visa liberalization for Kosovo should happen as soon as possible.

During his stay in Pristina, Schallenberg warned that at the next summit between the European Union and the Western Balkan countries, which will take place on June 23, he will raise the topic of visa liberalization for Kosovo. Schallenberg also said that the EU should open membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

He made the comments during a joint press conference with Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla. Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that does not enjoy visa liberalization with the EU. The Government of Kosovo insists that it has met every criterion out of a total of 95 that the EU has set in the roadmap for liberalization.

However, the process has been repeatedly hampered by some EU member states, such as France and the Netherlands, which have expressed reservations about the free movement of Kosovars.

In the case of Albania and North Macedonia, meanwhile, the EU has not yet started membership negotiations, as Bulgaria has imposed a blockade due to some language and identity disputes with North Macedonia. Consequently, Albania has also lagged behind, because some EU countries do not want it to be separated from the package with North Macedonia.

/Klara Ruci/