Kurti: Kosovo will allow free movement for Bosnian citizens from January 1

2024-10-14 14:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that, starting from January 1 next year, Kosovo will unilaterally allow free movement for all holders of identity cards from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Despite the agreements reached, citizens of both countries, currently, must be provided with visas to move to the respective countries

Speaking at the Berlin Process summit, which is being held in the German capital, Kurti said that this project has brought significant progress so far, but that "even more actions" are needed.

"While the Republika Srpska entity refuses to ratify the agreement on free movement with IDs - which my country was the first in the region to ratify in Parliament - I have decided to end the wait. Starting from January 1 next year, the Republic of Kosovo, unilaterally, will allow free movement for the holders of identity cards of Bosnia and Herzegovina", said Kurti.

"Connectivity is essential to the Berlin Process," he said.

Launched in 2014 by the then German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, this process marks ten years this year.

The aim of its summits, which are held every year, is to increase cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans - Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia - and gradually bring them closer together. EU.

Of the six states in the region, only Kosovo is not an official candidate for EU membership.

Within the Berlin Process, over the years, several agreements and declarations have been made, but many of them have remained unimplemented.

The agreement on free movement with IDs between the countries of the Western Balkans was reached in 2022.

While citizens of Kosovo can move with identity cards in North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, they must be equipped with visas to go to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Similarly, those from Bosnia who want to enter Kosovo.

This is due to the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina, which does not recognize the state of Kosovo, has not yet ratified the agreement on free movement.

During the summit, Kurti also spoke about the Green Agenda in the Western Balkans.

He recalled that the Kosovo Strategy includes the goal of switching to renewable energy sources by 2050.

"While we have the fifth largest lignite reserves in the world, we have set clear targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions nationwide - by 36% by 2030 - and to keep reserves below earth. We remain committed to the green transition, even though we are not a party to the Paris Agreement [on climate]," said Kurti.

"Despite our efforts, we are still excluded from the main multilateral financing mechanisms", he said, adding that Kosovo needs access to global climate finance, which would support its transition.

Speaking at the opening of the event in Berlin, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that the Berlin Process "is the best instrument not only for regional cooperation, but also for accelerating the European integration of all Western Balkan countries".

"The European Union is complete with the Western Balkans as part of it," he said.

Scholz announced the signing of two new documents at today's summit, which, he said, will make people's lives easier.

The first, according to him, has to do with a new action plan for the common regional market, while the second with a new agreement for the movement, which also includes access to higher education.

Scholz also called on Kosovo and Serbia to engage more actively in the normalization of relations between them, promising to work personally with both countries.

"We need a new dynamic... I would say to friends from Belgrade and Pristina today: Please do not let the past stop you on the way to a peaceful and prosperous future. I am convinced that this future is in the EU and there is only one way to get there: the full implementation of the agreements reached", said Scholz during the opening speech.

"I will continue to personally engage with both countries to ensure that they take advantage of this opportunity," he added.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, "it is good to be in Berlin with our partners from the Western Balkans".

"Let's look at our achievements in the past, but let's especially look ahead. Towards a future where all six partners of the Western Balkans are part of our Union", von der Leyen wrote on the X platform.

"A decade of will, work and commitment to bring our region closer to the EU", the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Kurti, wrote earlier on Facebook./ Rel