“The [European Council] must proceed urgently with the adoption of a visa-free regime for the citizens of Kosovo,” declares the European Parliament draft resolution for Kosovo.
On Thursday, April 21, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) is set to approve Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel’s report on Kosovo, which includes several policy recommendations.
The draft text of the resolution acknowledges that “Kosovo has not been granted visa liberalisation, although all benchmarks have been fulfilled since 2018.”
The people of Kosovo remain the only one in the region unable to move freely. This while the country is constantly ranked higher than some regional countries in corruption and human rights indexes, which the resolution acknowledges.
By way of example, in Freedom House’s latest report, published on Wednesday, Kosovo was the only country in the Western Balkans whose democracy score improved amid a regional, 18-year decline.
The Parliament also, “fully supports Kosovo’s intention to apply for membership of the Council of Europe,” but it remains cautious of the country’s intention to apply for EU membership.
“There is no fast-track procedure [to accession] and that the normalisation of relations with Serbia is necessary for Kosovo to advance on its European path,” it states.
Dialogue with Serbia has stalled after several failed meetings as the parties cannot agree on a common agenda.
The EP also expresses its regrets that “five EU Member States [Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece] have not yet recognised Kosovo and reiterates its call for them to do so.”
