MEPs call for visa liberalization for Kosovo

From Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Kukan

"Eduard Kukan (born December 26, 1939) served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia from 1998 to 2006."

Also:

"Kukan graduated from The Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1964"

OK, that background does not mean someone would be automatically anti-Albanian. Time to ask "Kosovo friends" in Germany, U.K., France - do they support visa liberalization or not. I feel some there are seriously honesty-challenged.

This is good. Time to flush out those who have spoiled Kosovo's soil straight into the EU's arms.

T'is a good day :)

God help us!

I feel that as a citizen of the EU, we should hold an open Union-wide referendum on who we want traveling to Europe. Places like Kosovo, and I'm sorry if I hurt some commentators here, need to clean up a lot more of its criminal activities before they are allowed to visit the EU visa-free. Granting a place like Kosovo this privilege, would be giving the mobsters their a green light to do their illicit trades unhindered. The EU, in an effort to appease other places and people in Europe, has a habit of stubbing its own toe.

France deports Roma daily. I don't think they will support Kosovo's visa-free travel since they know, as well as the majority of Albanians in Kosovo, that if any person from Kosovo can make it out of Kosovo, he or she has no plans on coming back.

France deports Roma daily. I don't think they will support Kosovo's visa-free travel since they know, as well as the majority of Albanians in Kosovo, that if any person from Kosovo can make it out of Kosovo, he or she has no plans on coming back.
(American Eagle)
-
You are correct. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11504123

--He said this after the EP had lifted visa regime for citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania on Thursday.

“The EU should not allow residents of Europe to be isolated. That is why I would welcome decision to soon propose a strategy and creation of visa-free regime for Kosovo as well,” Kukan told Slovak daily Hospodarske noviny.--

This is great news. finally some equity in the balkans. finally the EU is waking up.

congratulations to the citizens of bosnia and albania, and best of luck for the citizens of Kosova, ALL her citizens. you ARE a part of europe, and it is time for the eu to recognize it.

this is one of the strongest inducements ag. extremism and for a positive outlook on the future. esp.ly for the young people.

good news day...

roberto
frisco

"Places like Kosovo, and I'm sorry if I hurt some commentators here, need to clean up a lot more of its criminal activities before they are allowed to visit the EU visa-free. Granting a place like Kosovo this privilege, would be giving the mobsters their a green light to do their illicit trades unhindered."


-- This logic is flawed. Those carrying the activities you mention do have the means to travel. They do have visas. They make their own visas, their own passport. You name a country they can make it. They do have connections through the region and further. Visas do not stop them from traveling. The people who cannot travel are the hard working ones and honest ones.

A more logical argument would be to wait until the standard of living goes up a little bit so visa liberalization won't be equaled with working rights. That is an argument that can hold water. The previous one is just the same extreme-right wing propaganda.

God help us!
(Concerned European, 8 October 2010 21:56)

FYI: the REALLY bad guys do have multiple Swiss - American - whatever passports and can walk across any border with the smile.

Who is affected are either common people like we here or the poorest of the poor.

Sorting the later out is pretty easy and as France demonstrated - even EU citizens can be deported if Sarko wants that way.

So this visa thing is less intimidation at some crazy embassies for normal people, the ones who fill the Pristina-Belgrade-Budapest-Vienna busses for 100 Euro r/t.

I have absolutely no problem with that, let them travel as they like. And even if they settle to their liking, no problem with that either... as long as they fit into local society.

You are correct. [link]
(trudsaam, 8 October 2010 23:30)

Yes, just did read it. I really hate such lack of backbone. But luckily the bill passed. Nations should not be kept artificially in a visa-cage like some EU politicians would love.

A more logical argument would be to wait until the standard of living goes up a little bit so visa liberalization won't be equaled with working rights. That is an argument that can hold water. The previous one is just the same extreme-right wing propaganda.
(johny, 9 October 2010 06:13)

Even more. Keep in mind, citizens of some countries like Venezuela which is neither "politically correct" (from EU-USA point of view) nor on-par with E.U. average living standard do not need visa to E.U. And being a "disputed" region ("is it a country or not a country?") does not mean much regarding E.U. visas either: holders of Taiwanese passports will likely travel to E.U. visa-free from next year. That means, Kosovo should be in theory no different.

Maybe it is to bold accusation - but I firmly believe, most visa rules are plain stupid, made by plain stupid politicians. Looks, like negative IQ score is possible.

The entire concept is flawed. Embassy's job should be primarily represent and promote the own country, the consulate should take care about things like childbirth registration, marriage, provide information about permanent moving and so on. It's NOT and NOT their job to screen out the criminal elements from the tourists. That's the job of the police in both involved countries.

Look at the farce with American or Indian or other "popular" visas. The number of the people traveling is so big, no consulate can do the job of screening.

The idiotic solution: countries like bigger EU countries (U.K., Germany), USA, Russia, India begun to "outsource" the entire visa thing to "visa agencies". There are currently AFAIK two large visa agencies in the world, amazingly doing the job for all involved countries and these agencies are basically Indian ones.

Not just it inflates all visa fees... but think about basic security. You apply for American or British or Russian visa. You HAVE to do it through a PRIVATE agency, collecting the fees and your personal data lands up in... India.

Which is IMO fine - because India has absolutely no infiltration from Pakistan and besides, no one in Pakistan is interested to infiltrate to USA/UK/Russia and do some pretty bad things, right? Or maybe not. Talk about the government stupidity.

But of course, it's more dangerous if Arben Berisha opens an underground bakery as illegal immigrant than if some Pakistani blows up a major building in Paris killing few thousand people. The dangers of an illegal cake are great, too - it can be not very fresh. But probably blowing up Eiffel Tower is a bit worse than that.

France deports Roma daily. I don't think they will support Kosovo's visa-free travel since they know, as well as the majority of Albanians in Kosovo, that if any person from Kosovo can make it out of Kosovo, he or she has no plans on coming back.

I feel that as a citizen of the EU, we should hold an open Union-wide referendum on who we want traveling to Europe. Places like Kosovo, and I'm sorry if I hurt some commentators here, need to clean up a lot more of its criminal activities before they are allowed to visit the EU visa-free. Granting a place like Kosovo this privilege, would be giving the mobsters their a green light to do their illicit trades unhindered. The EU, in an effort to appease other places and people in Europe, has a habit of stubbing its own toe.

God help us!

France deports Roma daily. I don't think they will support Kosovo's visa-free travel since they know, as well as the majority of Albanians in Kosovo, that if any person from Kosovo can make it out of Kosovo, he or she has no plans on coming back.
(American Eagle)
-
You are correct. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11504123

From Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Kukan

"Eduard Kukan (born December 26, 1939) served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia from 1998 to 2006."

Also:

"Kukan graduated from The Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1964"

OK, that background does not mean someone would be automatically anti-Albanian. Time to ask "Kosovo friends" in Germany, U.K., France - do they support visa liberalization or not. I feel some there are seriously honesty-challenged.

This is good. Time to flush out those who have spoiled Kosovo's soil straight into the EU's arms.

T'is a good day :)

--He said this after the EP had lifted visa regime for citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania on Thursday.

“The EU should not allow residents of Europe to be isolated. That is why I would welcome decision to soon propose a strategy and creation of visa-free regime for Kosovo as well,” Kukan told Slovak daily Hospodarske noviny.--

This is great news. finally some equity in the balkans. finally the EU is waking up.

congratulations to the citizens of bosnia and albania, and best of luck for the citizens of Kosova, ALL her citizens. you ARE a part of europe, and it is time for the eu to recognize it.

this is one of the strongest inducements ag. extremism and for a positive outlook on the future. esp.ly for the young people.

good news day...

roberto
frisco

"Places like Kosovo, and I'm sorry if I hurt some commentators here, need to clean up a lot more of its criminal activities before they are allowed to visit the EU visa-free. Granting a place like Kosovo this privilege, would be giving the mobsters their a green light to do their illicit trades unhindered."


-- This logic is flawed. Those carrying the activities you mention do have the means to travel. They do have visas. They make their own visas, their own passport. You name a country they can make it. They do have connections through the region and further. Visas do not stop them from traveling. The people who cannot travel are the hard working ones and honest ones.

A more logical argument would be to wait until the standard of living goes up a little bit so visa liberalization won't be equaled with working rights. That is an argument that can hold water. The previous one is just the same extreme-right wing propaganda.

A more logical argument would be to wait until the standard of living goes up a little bit so visa liberalization won't be equaled with working rights. That is an argument that can hold water. The previous one is just the same extreme-right wing propaganda.
(johny, 9 October 2010 06:13)

Even more. Keep in mind, citizens of some countries like Venezuela which is neither "politically correct" (from EU-USA point of view) nor on-par with E.U. average living standard do not need visa to E.U. And being a "disputed" region ("is it a country or not a country?") does not mean much regarding E.U. visas either: holders of Taiwanese passports will likely travel to E.U. visa-free from next year. That means, Kosovo should be in theory no different.

Maybe it is to bold accusation - but I firmly believe, most visa rules are plain stupid, made by plain stupid politicians. Looks, like negative IQ score is possible.

The entire concept is flawed. Embassy's job should be primarily represent and promote the own country, the consulate should take care about things like childbirth registration, marriage, provide information about permanent moving and so on. It's NOT and NOT their job to screen out the criminal elements from the tourists. That's the job of the police in both involved countries.

Look at the farce with American or Indian or other "popular" visas. The number of the people traveling is so big, no consulate can do the job of screening.

The idiotic solution: countries like bigger EU countries (U.K., Germany), USA, Russia, India begun to "outsource" the entire visa thing to "visa agencies". There are currently AFAIK two large visa agencies in the world, amazingly doing the job for all involved countries and these agencies are basically Indian ones.

Not just it inflates all visa fees... but think about basic security. You apply for American or British or Russian visa. You HAVE to do it through a PRIVATE agency, collecting the fees and your personal data lands up in... India.

Which is IMO fine - because India has absolutely no infiltration from Pakistan and besides, no one in Pakistan is interested to infiltrate to USA/UK/Russia and do some pretty bad things, right? Or maybe not. Talk about the government stupidity.

But of course, it's more dangerous if Arben Berisha opens an underground bakery as illegal immigrant than if some Pakistani blows up a major building in Paris killing few thousand people. The dangers of an illegal cake are great, too - it can be not very fresh. But probably blowing up Eiffel Tower is a bit worse than that.

God help us!
(Concerned European, 8 October 2010 21:56)

FYI: the REALLY bad guys do have multiple Swiss - American - whatever passports and can walk across any border with the smile.

Who is affected are either common people like we here or the poorest of the poor.

Sorting the later out is pretty easy and as France demonstrated - even EU citizens can be deported if Sarko wants that way.

So this visa thing is less intimidation at some crazy embassies for normal people, the ones who fill the Pristina-Belgrade-Budapest-Vienna busses for 100 Euro r/t.

I have absolutely no problem with that, let them travel as they like. And even if they settle to their liking, no problem with that either... as long as they fit into local society.

You are correct. [link]
(trudsaam, 8 October 2010 23:30)

Yes, just did read it. I really hate such lack of backbone. But luckily the bill passed. Nations should not be kept artificially in a visa-cage like some EU politicians would love.