From January, citizens of Kosovo will be visa-free in the Schengen area/ German embassy confirms

2023-10-02 16:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

From January, citizens of Kosovo will be visa-free in the Schengen area/ German

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Citizens of Kosovo will have the right to travel without visas for short-term stays in the countries of the Schengen area starting from January 1, 2024, the German Embassy in Kosovo announced, reports Schengen.news.info .

The European Union approved visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens in April this year, emphasizing that they will have the right to travel without additional conditions such as visas, starting next year.

However, concerns were raised after the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, said that his country may review the commitments it has made on the political and economic issues of visas for Kosovo and Serbia.

Paris's comments were not so well received. Also, they have been criticized by the rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon. According to her, visa-free travel for Kosovars is not and should not be related to the dialogue with Serbia.

Von Cramon said that the European Union should keep its promise to allow Kosovo citizens to travel without visas from next year.

Considering that such a decision would have a negative impact, the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has emphasized that any suspension of visa-free travel in the EU for Kosovo will "kill the dialogue with Serbia once and for all.

Both Kosovo and Serbia aspire to join the European Union. However, Brussels emphasized that they should first resolve the dispute through a mediated dialogue./ CNA