The European Parliament has voted to endorse visa-free travel for Kosovo serbs who hold Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
The new changes mean that holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate are also eligible to travel visa-free to EU’s Schengen Zone countries, following the visa liberalisation agreement with Kosovo that took effect from January 1 this year, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
On Wednesday, MEPs voted with 406 votes in favour, 97 against, and 94 abstentions to support visa-free travel to the EU of up to 90 days for holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (“Koordinaciona uprava”), which issues passports to Kosovo Serbs. This ensures that the entire Western Balkans region has the same visa regime on travel to the EU.
In this regard, Rapporteur Matjaž Nemec said that extending EU visa liberalisation to Serbian residents of Kosovo is important in order to prevent discrimination against these citizens, who remain the only category in the Western Balkans who are still required to hold a visa in order to travel to the Schengen Zone Area.
This technical decision is not an attempt to resolve the dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, but a pragmatic solution to ensure equal treatment. Now that the proposal has been adopted by Parliament, I hope that the law can be quickly finalised before the EU elections of 6-9 June.
Visa Waiver Proposal for Kosovo Residents with Serbian Passports
In November last year, the European Commission proposed to lift visa requirements for citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued in Serbia, following the EU’s decision to permit visa-free travel for Kosovars, for short-term stays from January 1, 2024.
Back then, the Commission proposed to amend Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 in order to exempt citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate from visa requirements.
The Commission argued that there is no longer any reason for which holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate residing in Kosovo cannot travel without visas to Schengen Area member countries.
In March this year, the European Parliament Home Affairs Committee appointed Matjaž Nemec as a rapporteur for visa abolition for Serbian passport holders in Kosovo.
The decision was confirmed by EU representative Matjaž Nemec in his X account.
From January 1, this year, holders of Kosovo’s passport are allowed to travel to 48 countries visa-free, significantly strengthening the power of its passport.