Belgrade, Serbia
Citizens of Kosovo welcomed 2024 by obtaining the right to travel to the Schengen area without a visa on Monday.
Starting January 1, Kosovars will be able to travel to the Schengen region without a visa for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. There will therefore no longer be any country in the Western Balkans that cannot travel to the region without a visa. a visa.
“A feat after years of hard work. Visa-free travel brings essential benefits to citizens of both sides, thereby strengthening Kosovo’s relations with the EU,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
In 2012, European Union institutions tasked Kosovo with fulfilling 95 criteria to have the right to visa-free travel. The process has been repeatedly blocked due to Kosovo’s failure to meet certain criteria.
The EU also used the visa waiver as a “bait” or “reward” for actions it wanted Kosovo to take on many issues, including its dialogue with Serbia.
Kosovar politicians also cited obtaining the right to visa-free travel as the main promise of all election campaigns held during this period.
Around one in three Kosovo citizens live in European countries and therefore the visa waiver for Kosovars means much more than a tourist visit.
Kosovo was able to receive a positive response from European institutions for visa-free travel in the first half of 2023 after many EU countries, including Germany and Austria, convinced pessimistic countries like France and the Netherlands.
The Western Balkan countries Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia gained visa-free travel within the Schengen area in 2009, and Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010.
It is estimated that the country will move even closer to the EU after the implementation of the visa-free travel decision. Even though a year has passed since Kosovo submitted its application for EU membership, it has not received a positive response in this regard.
After Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December, Kosovo remained the only country to have applied for the union but still not granted candidate status.
Following tensions in northern Kosovo throughout 2023, the EU imposed certain punitive measures on the country. These measures notably prevent the country from benefiting from European funds in several areas.
Kosovo’s leaders say they are doing their part to lift the “unjust” measures and are demanding they be removed as quickly as possible.
The leaders also hope to receive support from EU countries for Kosovo to become a full member of the Council of Europe and the Partnership for Peace program, a prerequisite for NATO membership.
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