The European Commission's long standing commitment to visa free travel for the people of the Western Balkans has been confirmed with the adoption of a proposal for granting visa free travel to the citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Today's proposal enables the citizens of these three countries to travel to the all the EU countries, except United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, with the new biometric passports.

 The Commission remains committed to visa liberalisation for the citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina too. However these countries have not yet fulfilled the conditions to be included in proposal, which includes Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, if the pace of reforms is maintained and if all the conditions are fulfilled, the Commission could envisage making a new proposal including these countries by mid-2010.

Granting visa free travel is a cornerstone of the EU's integration policy for the Western Balkans that the European Commission started in November, 2008. Facilitating people to people contacts enhances business opportunities and gives the possibility for the people of the region to get to know the EU better. However, visa free travel is only possible if the necessary security requirements are met.

On the basis of roadmaps presented by the Commission, the countries have made important progress in improving passport security, in strengthening border controls, in reinforcing the institutional framework to fight organised crime and corruption, as well as in external relations and fundamental rights.

The conditions are the same for every country. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met the necessary conditions. For Serbia and Montenegro the entry into force of the visa waiver will depend on fulfilment of all remaining open benchmarks of their respective roadmaps by the date of adoption of this proposal by the Council.

In Albania and in Bosnia and Herzegovina shortcomings still exist in the institutional framework to fight against organised crime and corruption, in addressing weaknesses in the procedure for delivering passports, and in the areas of border and migration management. Residents of Kosovo will not yet benefit from visa liberalisation either.