Visa liberalization is now a reality. Today, the final decision on visa liberalization was voted positively in the European Parliament. It will be officially signed the next day in Strasbourg by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, where the first deputy prime minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, will be present.
The decision will be published in the official gazette and enters into force 20 days after publication. According to this decision, the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo will be able to move without visas in the Schengen area and no later than January 1, 2024.
The new visa waiver rules for Kosovo will allow citizens to travel to the EU without a visa for a stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. Kosovo had fulfilled all the conditions for the liberalization of visas in time, but until now there was a lack of consensus among the member countries for the advancement of the process.
Thanks to the work of the Government, especially in the field of the rule of law, the fight against corruption and migration management, the process was unblocked and the EU institutions and member countries were convinced that Kosovo deserves the end of the visa liberalization process and that the country has done significant progress and achievements in relevant fields.
After a long wait, this is a key moment of the approximation of our country to the European family.