TIRANA, October 21 – “Visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens will come into force on January 1, 2024 and will allow them to travel within the European Union for 90 days,” said the spokeswoman for the European Commission, Anitta Hiper, when asked if France has presented such a proposal.
Hiper refused to comment on the threats issued by the French president in Tirana for the suspension of visas for Kosovo.
The EC’s response also clarifies that a single state cannot decide to suspend a visa-free movement regime at the moment the latter has been established. Such decisions, as the EC clarifies, can only be taken at the EU level, based on the rules of the union for granting or suspending visa-free regimes.
“In April, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation 2023/850 of the (EU), removing the visa regime for Kosovo Passport holders. The Commission has assessed since July 2018 that Kosovo has met all the standards of the Visa Liberalization Guide. Individual member states cannot decide to suspend a visa-free regime,” Hiper said. /argumentum.al
