The Czech Presidency of the European Union has officially put the discussion on the liberalisation of visas for Kosovo on the agenda of the EU summit in Prague next week.
Radio Free Europe reports that the issue of visas will be discussed on October 13.
Currently, of the six countries of the Western Balkans that remain outside the EU, only the citizens of Kosovo cannot move freely to European countries in what is known as the Schengen area.
Six years ago, the European Commission assessed that Kosovo met all the visa liberalisation criteria. Still, it set a condition for the finalisation of the process to reach an agreement on ratifying the border demarcation between Kosovo and Montenegro and to have results in the fight against crime and corruption.
In 2018, the European Commission found that Kosovo has met all the criteria and proposed liberalisation.
The European Parliament has supported this decision, but some sceptical countries such as France and the Netherlands have not agreed with the Commission’s assessments.
Among their concerns was the increase in Kosovo residents targeting the EU and the misuse of freedom of movement to seek asylum in the European bloc.
