PRISTINA (Kosovo), April 20 (SeeNews) – Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Friday the European Commission is expected to say before the summer recess whether all criteria for visa liberalization with Kosovo have been met, Kosovo public broadcaster RTK reported on Friday.
“Visa liberalization will be confirmed before the summer break,” RTK quoted Haradinaj as saying in a speech in parliament.
In March, Kosovo's parliament ratified the border demarcation deal with Montenegro - a key EU requirement for visa liberalisation. The ratification of was an important breakthrough, the Commission said in its 2018 progress report on Kosovo accompanying its annual enlargement package published earlier this week.
Kosovo parliament has delayed the ratification of the border demarcation agreement reached in 2015 with Montenegro due to continuous protest and boycott from opposition parties arguing the deal was giving away chunks of Kosovo territory to the neighbouring country. Montenegro has already ratified the agreement.
The ratification of the border deal with Montenegro is essential for recommending visa liberalization with Kosovo, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said during his visit to Kosovo at the end of February.
Kosovo, considered to be a potential candidate for EU membership by the European Commission, declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It is the only country in the Western Balkans whose citizens need visas to travel to EU member states.