{"id":5947,"date":"2014-12-16T15:50:04","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T15:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eu-monitoring.ba\/?p=5947"},"modified":"2015-05-12T16:06:01","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T16:06:01","slug":"introduce-a-schengen-conturies-visa-fee-regime-for-citizens-of-kosovo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eu-monitoring.ba\/en\/introduce-a-schengen-conturies-visa-fee-regime-for-citizens-of-kosovo\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduce a Schengen Countries Visa-Fee Regime for Citizens of Kosovo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flag_of_Kosovo.svg\"Civil Society Organisations from the Western Balkans call the European Union Institutions and the European Union Member States to:<\/p>\n

INTRODUCE A SCHENGEN COUNTRIES VISA-FREE\u00a0<\/strong>REGIME FOR CITIZENS OF KOSOVO<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Without going into political debates on Kosovo’s status and discussions is it or is it not an independent state, we, the representatives of civil society organisations from the Western Balkans, call upon the European Union institutions to abolish visas for Kosovo citizens immediately.<\/p>\n

Having the experience of visa-free movement in the Schengen countries, we believe that the same right should be granted to the citizens of Kosovo. Regardless of their ethnic background, the citizens of Kosovo are denied the right to freedom of movement, as visa applications take a lot of time and resources and many of Kosovo’s citizens are not in a position to obtain it.\u00a0 This puts them in an unfair position compared to citizens of other Balkan countries, such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, whose citizens use to face the same difficulties before their visa\u2013regimes were lifted. A visa-free regime for all citizens of Kosovo would make them equal to the other Western Balkan countries and put an end to this discriminatory setting.<\/p>\n

We also call for all the governments of the Western Balkan countries to continue to invest in reconciliation and cooperation, and to work for a stable and peaceful Balkans and its common future in Europe. All citizens should be free to move on the whole Balkan and European territory. We do call all countries to abolish the existing obstacles at the border crossings and visa regimes on bilateral level, like the one between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.<\/p>\n

The future of the Balkans lies in a free and stable neighbourhood. All of its citizens, including those coming from Kosovo, should have the same rights and opportunities.<\/p>\n

This call is initiated by the
\n<\/em>Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina
\n(www.eu-monitoring.ba)
\nAnd supported by the following networks<\/em>:<\/p>\n