Kosovo*: Council agrees negotiating mandate on visa free travel - Présidence française du Conseil de l'Union européenne 2022

EU member states’ ambassadors today agreed the Council’s negotiating mandate on a regulation on visa free travel for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. On the basis of this mandate, the presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament.

Jan Lipavský, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs

Today we have taken an important step towards visa free travel for Kosovo and we now hope to reach an agreement with the European Parliament swiftly to make this promise a reality. Visa liberalisation has been made possible by Kosovo’s efforts to strengthen its border controls, migration management and security, and we trust that this good cooperation will only grow stronger in the future.

Jan Lipavský, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs

The draft rules would allow Kosovo passport holders to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. Under the Council position, the exemption from the visa requirement would apply from the start date for the operation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and in any case no later than 1 January 2024.

Background

Kosovo has made significant progress in all blocks of the visa liberalisation roadmap including in the fields of document security, border and migration management, public order and security, and fundamental rights relating to freedom of movement. On the basis of this assessment, the Commission proposed to lift the visa requirement for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. The exemption from the visa requirement will ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is under the same visa regime.

The Commission will continue to actively monitor the implementation of these requirements, including visa policy alignment, through the post-visa liberalisation mechanism.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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