The Civil Liberties Committee has voted to endorse visa-free travel for holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.

On Wednesday, MEPs on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs voted with 34 votes in favour, 7 against, and 12 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.

Quote

Rapporteur Matjaž Nemec (S&D, SI) said: « Extending EU visa liberalisation to Serbian residents of Kosovo is important to prevent discrimination against these citizens, who risk being treated differently than other residents of the Western Balkans. This technical decision is not an attempt to resolve the dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, but a pragmatic solution to ensure equal treatment. I hope that it can be speedily adopted before the EU elections of 6-9 June. »

Next steps

The draft position will be tabled for a decision by the full house during the 22-25 April plenary session.