Last week’s proposal of the European Commission to introduce visa liberalization to citizens in Kosovo who have passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Serbian Ministry of Interior was met with objections from around twenty NGOs from Kosovo and the Kosovo government. They called for the withdrawal or review of this proposal. On the other hand, the deputy to Kosovo Ombudsperson, Srdjan Sentic, expressed disappointment over the reaction of organizations in Kosovo, noting that it is up to the citizens to decide which documents they would use.
Last week, the European Commission proposed to the European Parliament to introduce vise-free travel for citizens in Kosovo whose passports are issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia.
If the proposal is adopted, holders of these passports would be allowed to stay in Schengen countries for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
They justified the proposal by saying that visa liberalization for citizens with Kosovo passports is set to come into force on January 1, 2024, and that, therefore, the reasons for excluding holders of Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia have ceased to be valid.
Although adopted last week, the proposal of the European Commission has gone unnoticed by the Kosovo public until today, at least publicly.
Pristina media reported today that certain NGOs wrote to the European Commission about this proposal with a request for its withdrawal.
They claim that the proposal was submitted at a time when supposedly Kosovo Serbs „began to apply en masse for Kosovo passports“, and that according to the agreements concluded between Belgrade and Pristina, Kosovo authorities are „the only legitimate“ ones to issue passports to citizens living in Kosovo.
They alleged that the adoption of the proposal will jeopardize the implementation of visa liberalization for the citizens of Kosovo, „seriously harm the purpose and implementation of the agreement“ that was agreed this year and „seriously challenge progress in the integration of Serbs“.
They also believe that this would at the same time „encourage criminal structures in the north to continue with threats and intimidation of Serbs who intend to integrate.“
After the statement from non-governmental organizations, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, also reacted.
Passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia are „illegal“ and should be treated as such by the European Union, as well as all other „parallel documentation“, he said.
According to Bislimi, recognizing these documents „undermines the integration of the Serbian community.“
At the same time, he sent a request to the European Union to review the proposal, which, he says, contains several violations.
The deputy of the Kosovo Ombudsperson, Srdjan Sentić, expressed disappointment over the reaction of the NGOs regarding the issue.
„I am disappointed by the letter of about twenty civil society organizations from Kosovo, which asked the European Commission to withdraw the proposal on visa liberalization for passports issued by the Coordination Directorate and thus encourage discrimination,“ he announced tonight.
The Kosovo constitution, he notes, guarantees dual citizenship to all citizens, regardless of ethnicity.
„It is up to the citizens to decide which document to use and at what time,“ he said.
On the other hand, he reminded that many Kosovo Serbs from the civil sector, as well as those who work in Kosovo institutions, including him, actively supported visa liberalization for all citizens of Kosovo:
„Due to the principle of freedom of movement being one of the leading principles of the European Union“.
The deputy of the Kosovo Ombudsperson also claims that the NGOs’ argument- that if the „disputed passports“ are included in the visa-free regime, the process of integration of Kosovo Serbs will be jeopardized – „does not hold up“.
„The Kosovo passport can only be issued by those citizens who have a Kosovo identification card, that is, who are already integrated into the Kosovo system,“ he says.
On the other hand, he notes that a certain number of citizens cannot obtain Kosovo documents, due to administrative obstacles.
„Therefore, the passport issued by the Coordination Directorate is the only document with which I can travel abroad,“ Sentić said in a Facebook post.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
