The European Parliament Rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon demanded the Council of the European Union give the green light on visa liberalization for Kosovo’s citizens.
During the discussion on the European Parliament draft report of Kosovo in the EU Foreign Affairs Committee, von Cramon said that citizens of Kosovo should have equal access to the Schengen zone without visas.
“This has been sitting on the desk of the Council for over two years now and people in Kosovo are frustrated- rightly so,” she said.
“I would like to ask the Council to give us a clear and definite timeline and get a green light for this decision as soon as possible,” von Cramon stated, adding that this is about keeping a promise in the region.
Von Cramon also highlighted that the European Parliament is paying attention to Kosovo and are fully committed to helping the country on its European path.
However, the situation in Kosovo “was not easy and is not easy,” she said, mentioning domestic political and economic problems.
“I often see that people in Kosovo are losing hope. They lost their faith in their leaders and also often in the European Union. However things are not as dark as it might seem,” von Cramon stated.
She also emphasized positive developments, such as the continuation of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels.
“Just today another round of meeting is taking place in Brussels as part of the Prishtina- Belgrade dialogue. Things are often going very slow in these complex negotiations but they are happening and this can give us hope,” von Cramon said.
Thanking all those involved in the dialogue, von Carmon emphasized “we still don’t find a single woman in Prishtina’s side, unfortunately.”
In July 2018, the European Commission confirmed that Kosovo has fulfilled all the criteria for visa liberalization. However its citizens still are not able to travel visa- free.
