EU removed so-called Kosovo from visa liberalization agenda over tension in the north

EU removed so-called Kosovo from visa liberalization agenda over tension in the north

"Due to the political events in the north of Kosovo, that item on the agenda of COREPER (which is composed of the 'permanent representatives' from each member state, who, in effect, are their country's ambassadors to the EU) tomorrow does not seem ideal. Therefore, we have decided to postpone the item until next week (November 30)," reads the memo sent by the Czech presidency member states of the European Union (EU).

Namely, on Wednesday, November 23, it is planned to adopt a text on visa liberalization at the meeting of ambassadors of EU member states, according to which the abolition of the visa regime will come into force when the ETIAS information system is fully functional on January 1, 2024 at the latest.

That step would enable the continuation of the relevant legal procedures towards the final decision to abolish the visa regime for citizens of Kosovo.

Experts from EU member states agreed on the final text at a meeting on Tuesday, November 22. Spain's request that the end date not coincide with the country's presidency of the EU was accepted. Spain has not recognized Kosovo's independence, which is why it requested that the date not coincide with its presidency between July 1 and December 31, 2023.

That is why Spain is one of the countries that on November 16 interrupted the so-called silent procedure when the previous text was supposed to be agreed upon, by which visa liberalization would enter into force on December 1, 2023, at the latest.

The situation in the north of Kosovo, where the majority Serb population lives, has worsened due to the decision of the Kosovo government to start re-registration of vehicles from Serbian license plates, which it considers illegal, to Kosovo ones. The crisis on the Pristina-Belgrade route was assessed by the European Union as "the most serious since 2013".

This was the reason why the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, convened an emergency meeting of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on November 21, but no agreement was reached.

Borrell shifted the responsibility for the collapse of the meeting to the Kosovo side. The Kosovo authorities announced that on November 21 they will start issuing fines to owners of cars with Serbian license plates, but after a failed meeting in Brussels, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti decided to postpone the implementation of this decision for 48 hours.

On Wednesday, the chief negotiators of Serbia and Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petković, will be in Brussels in another effort to find a solution to the crisis over the license plates.