The decision to remove visas for citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate will be signed today by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and Hungary, which currently holds the Presidency of the European Parliament.
The signing of the agreement is scheduled for 15:15, Schengen.News reports.
The decision has also been announced by the coordinator of the National Convention for Chapter 35, Dragiša Mijačić, through a post on his “X” social network.
The signing of the Decision on the abolition of visas for passports of the Coordination Administration is scheduled for tomorrow at 15.15: XNUMX pm in the building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Deputy of the European Parliament, Matjaz Nemec, who also served as a reporter for the lifting of visas for Serbian passport holders in Kosovo, said that after the agreement, the decision would be published in the Official Gazette of the EU.
After the signing of the decision by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, it will be published in the Official Gazette of the EU.
20 days after its publication in the Official Gazette of the EU, the decision is expected to become effective and begin to be applied in all EU countries.
In July this year, the European Union Council agreed to abolish visa requirements for Kosovo citizens holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
The decision, according to the Council, came to ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa rules.
Kosovo Passport Holders Have Been Enjoying Visa-Free Entry to EU Since the Beginning of the Year
Since the beginning of this year, citizens of Kosovo are eligible to travel visa-free to EU countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
However, in April 2023, when the European Commission announced the visa liberalisation for Kosovo, it emphasised that it would not be applied to Serbian passport holders.
Citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate in Belgrade were the only ones required to apply for a visa when planning to travel to the Schengen Zone countries.
The European Commission, in November 2023, proposed to abolish visa requirements for Kosovo citizens holding Serbian passports, following the EU’s decision to allow Kosovars to travel without visas for short-term stays from January 1 this year.
The Commission proposed to apply changes to the Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 to abolish visa requirements for holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
