Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina must catch up on the reforms needed to qualify for a short-stay visa waiver like those of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs. The European Commission should report on the two countries' progress early in 2010, and also start a dialogue on visas with Kosovo, they added.

MEPs reiterated that the visa liberalization dialogue places all countries on an equal footing, without any discrimination, and that the same criteria should apply to all countries concerned. They called on Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt the reforms needed to meet the requirements in full, with the Commission's help, and asked the Commission to report back on their progress early in 2010.

The Commission had proposed that short-stay (less than three months) visa requirements be waived for FYROM, Serbia and Montenegro, but Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina did not qualify. Committee members said that both should catch up as soon as possible, without lowering the standards common to all. They also underlined that Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina had made further progress since the Commission published its last assessment.

MEPs approved a compromise amendment to add Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the list of visa-free countries, albeit with a footnote stating that the visa exemption would take effect only after a positive assessment by the Commission is approved by Council. Both provisionally remain in the list of countries whose citizens require a visa.

Visa dialogue with Kosovo

The Commission should also start visa dialogue with Kosovo, so as to establish a roadmap for visa facilitation and liberalization similar to those established with the Western Balkan countries, said MEPs, adding that the visa liberalization process should serve as a reference for defining relations with the eastern partners, and particularly with Moldova, where a "significant democratic shift" had taken place.

Background

EU policy towards the Western Balkans, as set out in the Thessaloniki agenda, lists visa liberalization as a step towards eventual EU membership. Visa liberalization negotiations were launched in 2008, with progress benchmarks that include introducing biometric passports, which citizens must possess in order to qualify for the visa waiver.