EU debating visa regime abolishment

The European Union has begun debating visa liberalization for the Balkans, with a preliminary report already distributed to EU member-states. The Czech EU presidency confirmed that it had received a report from the European Commission on the progress of Western Balkan countries towards liberalizing the visa regime. EU debating visa regime abolishment Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said that it was a matter of “hundreds of pages of reports” and that “time will be needed to reach a final evaluation and decision on the basis of them.” He said that according to early indications, the results of Road Map implementation varied from country to country, and that some had made more progress than others. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic told B92 that it was no secret that a major role during the decision-making process would be played by the potential impact on countries that were excluded from the Schengen white list. “There are no new conditions. Since the outset, we’ve known that the decision rested with the member-states, and especially their interior ministries,” Djelic said. “There is a crisis in Europe currently. There is no great Euro-enthusiasm or optimism, and all aspects of the problem are currently being looked at, now that the European Commission report is looming on the one hand, and on the other hand, the decision in the coming months of each of the member-states regarding the Shengen area according to that report,” he said. Serbia’s European orientation had not been brought into question despite the obstacles in the EU and Serbia, said Milica Delevic, the director of the Serbian government’s Office for European Integration. “Euro-integration is Serbia’s strategic priority, despite the unfavorable situation in Serbia and in the European Union stemming from the economic crisis. Serbia’s EU course is not something fleeting, but a rational choice of priorities and the direction that Serbia wants to take,” Delevic said. A team of European Commission experts are due to report to EU member-states on Serbia’s progress in meeting conditions for abolition of the visa regime on May 25.

EU debating visa regime abolishment

Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said that it was a matter of “hundreds of pages of reports” and that “time will be needed to reach a final evaluation and decision on the basis of them.”

He said that according to early indications, the results of Road Map implementation varied from country to country, and that some had made more progress than others.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Božidar Đelic told B92 that it was no secret that a major role during the decision-making process would be played by the potential impact on countries that were excluded from the Schengen white list.

“There are no new conditions. Since the outset, we’ve known that the decision rested with the member-states, and especially their interior ministries,” Đelic said.

“There is a crisis in Europe currently. There is no great Euro-enthusiasm or optimism, and all aspects of the problem are currently being looked at, now that the European Commission report is looming on the one hand, and on the other hand, the decision in the coming months of each of the member-states regarding the Shengen area according to that report,” he said.

Serbia’s European orientation had not been brought into question despite the obstacles in the EU and Serbia, said Milica Delević, the director of the Serbian government’s Office for European Integration.

“Euro-integration is Serbia’s strategic priority, despite the unfavorable situation in Serbia and in the European Union stemming from the economic crisis. Serbia’s EU course is not something fleeting, but a rational choice of priorities and the direction that Serbia wants to take,” Delević said.

A team of European Commission experts are due to report to EU member-states on Serbia’s progress in meeting conditions for abolition of the visa regime on May 25.