Kosovo's President Says EU Parliament Expects its Visa Liberalisation Status to Be Granted Soon

Kosovo is officially known as the Republic of Kosovo. It covers a landmass of 10,887 km² in the center of the Balkans. It has a population of about 1.8 million and only declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. Due to its independence from Serbia in 2008, it is considered only partially a state in South-Eastern Europe.

Since its independence in 2008, it has been on the waiting list for a visa liberalization agreement with the European Union. Together with other Parliament members of the European Union, the president thinks it is high time the council granted Kosovo visa liberalization. The decision to grant Kosovo its visa liberalization agreement with the European Union Parliament came up after a meeting with Kosovo's president and the EU Parliament president in attendance.

Roberta Metsol - the president of the European Union Parliament, gave this statement on Twitter after the meeting: "With President Vjosa Osmani, I welcomed Kosovo alignment with sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Genuine and continued engagement in Pristina-Belgrade Dialogue essential for peace and stability in the region".

After the meeting, several dignitaries gave their opinion concerning Kosovo's Visa Liberalisation. Annalena Baerbock - German foreign minister, reported that for a country to belong to the EU, it must respect international law. It forms a solid foundation for emocracy in such countries. She also went on to say that Kosovo has fulfilled its part of the bargain in the visa liberalization process and called on the EU Parliament to fulfill its end of the agreement.

Michael Roth - a past German Minister for Europe, said that countries in the Western Balkan also belong to the European Union and, as such, should derive more benefits from the union. He called on the EU Parliament to grant Kosovo their visa liberalization agreement on this premise.

Other renowned dignitaries who have spoken on Kosovo's Visa Liberalisation include Viola von Cramon - a member of the EU Parliament, foreign ministers of Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, and the EU's representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - Joseph Borell among others.

The government of Kosovo, headed by Vjosa Osmani, has also written a letter to Joseph Borrell, where they requested for the application process to be fast-tracked. The letter was signed by Alexander Schallenberg - Austrian Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavský - Czechia's Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó - Hungarian Foreign Minister, Anže Logar - Slovenian Foreign Minister, and Ivan Korčok - Slovak Foreign Minister.

In conclusion, the majority of the appeal to grant Kosovo their visa liberalization is based on the premise that countries in the Western Balkan are also part of the EU and deserve to be treated as such. They should also partake of the ETIAS visa waiver enjoyed by other European states. Arguments are also made that Kosovo's government has kept its end of the bargain, requiring the EU to fulfill theirs.

Read more: ETIAS Online Application

Prominent figures are behind Kosovo on this request to fast-track the process. Micheal Roth took to Twitter to remind the EU that it always sticks to its promises, and Kosovo's case should not be an exception.