Visa liberalization process

EU lifts visa restrictions for Serbia

The European Union (EU) has abolished visas for the citizens of Serbia traveling to the Schengen Area countries


Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug
Published: 30 November 2009


The decision was made today in Brussels by the EU Council of Ministers for Interior and Justice, and it will come into effect on December 19. Serbian President Boris Tadić, along with Interior and Justice Ministers Ivica Dačić and Snežana Malović, was in Brussels this Monday, meeting with EU senior officials.

Beta reported ahead of the meetings today that a senior official of the presiding Swedish government stated that interior and justice ministers of the Union will amend regulation number 539/2001, stating that citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia will be on the "positive Schengen list." It states that they will then be "freed of the obligation to have visas issued to them" by the EU, but will still be without the right to work in the 27 EU member-states.

The citizens included in the abolishing of the visa regime will be Serbian citizens, precluding those living in Kosovo, as well as citizens of Montenegro and Macedonia with biometric passports. They will be able to visit any country as tourists for three months at the most in any season of the year. That means that three months after entering the territory of a country of the Schengen zone, they must end their stay, and wait three months before entering again for three months in a tourist capacity under the regime of free movement without border control.

The EU Ministerial Council was also to stress that "under resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, those residing in Kosovo will have to ask for visas to travel in the EU," Beta stated, after gaining an insight into the draft decision. It also stated that Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not included in this measure, as it was confirmed that they "have not fulfilled conditions from the visa liberalization agreement of the Western Balkans countries."

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President Boris Tadić said on Monday that Serbia's entry on the White Schengen List was the first step in its full EU integration.

"This is a practical and clear step towards European integration. Visa abolishment is not part of EU membership negotiations, but there can be no membership in the EU without visa liberalization," Tadić said, speaking at a joint press conference with European commissioners Jacques Barrot and Olli Rehn in Brussels.

Tadić pointed out that Serbia would begin its EU membership negotiations as soon as possible, and that he hoped for some great results soon. He remarked that putting Serbia on the White Schengen List practically allowed it to return to where it was 20 years ago, when its citizens did not need visas to travel to Europe. Tadić said he expected other Western Balkan countries would soon get visa liberalization as well, because that was a prerequisite for the region's political integration into the EU. Commenting on the fact that the visa liberalization for Serbia did not refer to the people in Kosovo, Tadi? said that Serbia viewed all Kosovo citizens as its own.

"Kosovo is Serbia's southern province, so the government in Belgrade will back any solution that would abolish visas for people in Kosovo, after removing any technical difficulties," he was quoted as saying.

In Belgrade, the Serbian government welcomed the decision of the European Union Council of Ministers for Interior and Justice. This is a clear political signal confirming Serbia's European perspective, the government press office said in a statement. The decision is a result of long endeavors to meet the conditions set out in the road map and constitutes a recognition of Serbia's progress in fighting corruption and organized crime, border management, improving safety of documents and respect of human rights, the release says. It is also an encouragement and support to the steps Serbia has yet to take in order to join the European family, the government noted.


(Published: 18.12.2009.)