The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said that it is important that the states of the European Union respect the recommendation of the European Commission, and do not introduce additional criteria regarding visa liberalisation.
Despite the Commission recommending visa liberalisation over four years ago as Kosovo met the requirements, at the eleventh hour, France, backed by Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and reportedly Denmark, laid down a condition that will de facto make the country wait until at least 2023.
They said that Kosovo’s visa liberalisation must be linked to the functioning of the European security system, ETIAS.
The electronic system enables the verification of the data of citizens of third countries who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. It requires every applicant to provide name, email, date of birth, and passport and to make a payment with a debit or credit card. The application is then reviewed, and authorities give a final decision as to whether that person can enter the Schengen Area.
Currently, the system is offline, but it is expected to be online in 2023, with no exact date given.
Osmani was clear in her disappointment that”it is not allowed in any way to establish additional criteria” during a meeting with the ambassadors of Germany, Italy and Slovenia in Prishtina.
According to a press release from the Presidency of Kosovo, Osmani said that the establishment of additional criteria for the liberalization of visas for Kosovo “would affect the denial of a right of our citizens and would hurt the credibility of the EU”.
Osmani talked with the ambassadors of these three countries about the political developments that have emerged after the 13 September meeting of the working group on visas of the European Council.
