The member states of the European Union have reached an agreement on Tuesday to stop requiring short-stay visas for Kosovo citizens from 2024, thus meeting a historic demand of Pristina that had been pending agreement among the EU-27 for more than six years.
Diplomatic sources confirm to Europa Press the agreement reached in the working bodies of the Council and that it will be formally approved this Wednesday at the usual meeting of ambassadors to the EU.
The European Commission proposed in May 2016 the inclusion of Kosovo in the list of countries whose citizens do not require visas for short-term stays, up to 90 days, in the Schengen area, after finding that the former Serbian province had met the requirements for this to be possible.
The fact that Kosovo’s independence is not recognized by five member states, including Spain, has complicated the debate on visa exemption and the options for reaching an agreement within the EU over the years. The measure will come into force in 2024, so it will arrive just after the Spanish presidency of the EU, in the second half of 2023.
The new political framework in Europe, with the instability generated by the war in Ukraine and the will of the EU to strengthen the relationship with the Balkans and revitalize the process of accession to the EU, after opening negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, and recognizing Ukraine and Moldova as candidates, explains the atmosphere that has allowed to unblock this issue, which is another important gesture for the region in view of the EU-Balkans summit on December 6 in Tirana, Albania.
Precisely the Kosovar authorities pointed out last June, at the previous meeting of European and Balkan leaders, that «even countries that were hesitant in the past» were considering supporting the measure.
At that European summit, which included a meeting with the leaders of the six Balkan countries, the Prime Minister himself, Pedro Sanchez, said that Spain was ready to accept the EU granting visa-free travel to Kosovo. «Spain has a constructive position and we are open to the possibility of approving this visa waiver for Kosovo,» Sanchez said at the time.
