Foreign Ministers of Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Slovakia have urged the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell to accelerate Kosovo’s visa liberalisation.
Kosovo has met the requirements for visa liberalisation for several years, but the process has been inexplicably stalled.
In a letter, the ministers asked that the Western Balkans be high on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council. As per Kosovo local media, the ministers added that visa liberalisation be granted, and Bosnia and Herzegovina be given candidate status.
The letter was signed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Czechia’s Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar, and the Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok.
The next meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EU will be held on Monday, April 11. The official agenda, however, remains under wraps.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she expects the Council to grant visa liberalisation following a meeting with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.
“With President Vjosa Osmani, I welcomed Kosovo alignment with sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Genuine and continued engagement in Pristina-Belgrade Dialogue essential for peace and stability in the region,” Metsola wrote on Twitter.
Osmani explained that her country is preparing to join several international organisations while the dialogue with Serbia continues.
Former German Minister for Europe, Michael Roth, has also asked the EU to grant visa liberalisation for Kosovo, urging the bloc to keep its promise.
“EU must keep its promises: starting accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, visa liberalisation for Kosovo. Democracy and the rule of law matter,” Roth tweeted in March.
The topic of the Western Balkans and their EU goals has come under renewed scrutiny in the last months due to the war in Ukraine. Fears of Russian influence, particularly in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, have led to increased calls to speed up accession processes for the WB6.
