The citizens of Kosovo have been waiting for years, and Vučić considers it a reward for the disobedient Kurti: What does visa liberalization mean for Pristina?

What Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić calls the encouragement of Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti to continue fulfilling his obligations, the citizens of Kosovo have been waiting for years.

Namely, the EU Council announced on Thursday that it adopted the position in the first reading on visa-free travel for holders of passports issued by Kosovo, which will allow holders of Kosovo passports to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of 90 days in any 180-day period. from January 1, 2024.

On the other hand, Vučić stated in a guest appearance on Happy television that “Kurti is determined not to form the ZSO and that it is easy for him to do so is shown by the decision to cancel the visa regime for the citizens of the so-called Kosovo”.

• Whereby I have nothing against it for many reasons and we should look forward to that decision. But the moment shows not that they are not ready to put pressure on Kurti, but that it is encouraging him to continue with the policy of not fulfilling his own obligations. And that is a problem – said Vučić.

He added that Kurti, i.e. Kosovo, will also gain entry into the Council of Europe and that this will be considered normal and that Serbia will be told to vote for it.

Is this decision of the Council of the EU still a reward for Kosovo for the progress achieved so far in the dialogue or is it an incentive, i.e. a carrot, for the future, with membership in the Council of Europe, we asked Natan Albahari, PSG MP and member of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, and Sofija Popović, EWB journalist.

Albahari says that it is good that citizens of Kosovo, as well as members of the Serbian community, will finally have the opportunity to travel to the EU without visas.

• It is extremely important that, when certain conditions are met within the framework of European integration, it is confirmed at the level of the European Union, because this is the only way the entire region can regain confidence in the process itself. I will remind you that the constant postponement of the granting of candidate status to North Macedonia and Albania, as well as the subsequent postponement of the opening of accession negotiations, leaves a bitter taste in the entire region and calls into question the EU’s commitment to the enlargement policy. Every step towards bringing the entire region closer to the European Union should be welcomed – says Albahari.

According to his words, President Vučić knows very well that this visa liberalization process was started many years ago and he himself should stand behind it because it is of great importance for the Serbian community in Kosovo.

• Is it a reward for Kosovo is the same valid question as whether the reward for Serbia last week was almost one billion euros for the overhaul of the Belgrade-Nis railway? If we look at it from that angle, then we can conclude that Brussels is satisfied with how both sides accepted this agreement, at least in the first phase, and that the “carrots” will be shared further if a positive agreement is reached regarding implementation – says Albahari.

As he adds, in that context, one should then ask why the government, which says every day how it works to protect the Serbs in Kosovo, often works against their interests?

• When it comes to the Council of Europe, and President Vučić does not often mention it, Kosovo is currently blocked at the request of the USA, just like using a “stick”. It is a completely fair approach to use the policy of conditionality, so that every step forward made by one of the parties is adequately rewarded or, on the contrary, sanctioned. I am sure that the lifting of this blockade will not happen until the next phase of talks and implementation of the part on the implementation of earlier agreements, namely the Brussels Agreement and the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities on the Pristina side, is seen – explains Albahari.

Although he is not optimistic that this will happen quickly, he says that it would be disastrous for Serbia if it gets the impression that suddenly Pristina is more ready to commit to an agreement, and Serbia turns out to be the party that is blocking that agreement.

• As a consequence, we may be left without support for the ZSO, and the road to Euro-Atlantic integration will be open to Kosovo. That is why this is a unique and possibly the last opportunity for Serbia to secure its European future. I demand that the next round be entered more seriously, bravely and maturely – without whining, dramatic press conferences and misleading the public – he points out.

And Sofija Popović reminds that at the beginning of December last year, after an agreement was reached within the EU on that issue, it was clear that Kosovo would definitely receive visa liberalization from January 1, 2024.

• More than two months were needed to harmonize the positions of the member states during the Czech presidency of the EU. This decision that we could see on Thursday is just a continuation of the regular procedure as foreseen by the political system of the Union in order to make the decision on visa liberalization with Kosovo operative. The entire procedure ends when the European Parliament votes with a qualified majority, which is expected at the end of April at the plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg – she explains.

According to her, in general, this issue should not be connected with the current negotiations regarding the European proposal, because Kosovo’s road to visa liberalization is very long.

• The process started in 2012, and all the criteria that were requested from the official Pristina were fulfilled in 2018. However, the fact is that this issue has been removed from the agenda several times so far due to the state of the dialogue with Belgrade and some other issues. The problem was not caused only by the five EU member states that still do not recognize Kosovo, but, for example, because of the rule of law and migration issues, the Netherlands and France asked for additional conditions or removed the issue from the agenda – reminds Popović.

As he concludes, if we look at our experience, the visa liberalization that was given to Serbia in 2009 is still the most visible benefit for citizens in the process of European integration so far, and the same will be the case for the citizens of Kosovo, which should be an additional motivation for the authorities. in Pristina.