Kosovo fears elections in big EU states may risk visa liberalization process

Kosovo’s officials fear upcoming elections in several EU member states next year could seriously put the visa liberalization process at risk.

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of European Integration, Ramadan Ilazi said that ‘upcoming elections in France and Germany next year may have a negative effect on EU’s decision-making over visa free regime with Kosovo’

He added that there’s still a real chance for the process to be completed this year, if there’s political consensus over the controversial border demacation agreement with Montenegro.

‘However, if we don’t have any positive developments over the next month, I fear that this will be a lost year for Kosovo, as next year may prove to be harder to get a decision from certain EU members’ said Ilazi, referring to France and Germany as reluctant countries to push for a decision prior to their elections.

The European Commission launched a visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo on January 2012, handing over a roadmap which identified legislative and institutional measures Kosovo needed to adopt and implement to advance towards visa liberalisation.

Last May, the Commission proposed to lift the visa requirements for the people of Kosovo by transferring Kosovo to the visa-free list for short-stays in the Schengen area. The proposal is presented together with the Commission’s positive assessment confirming that Kosovo has fulfilled the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap.

However, in September, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) recommended visa liberalization for Kosovo, but voted against the initiation of negotiations before the country fulfills two remaining criteria, including the finalization of border demarcation with Montenegro.

The border demarcation issue with Montenegro has provoked violent demonstrations from opossition parties and civil society throwing Kosovo’s politics into turmoil, and subsequently making it impossible to ratify the deal in Parliament.