Visa-free travel on the cards for Bosnia and Albania
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The European Commission has recommended that the EU lifts visa requirements for Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This means, if member states and the European Parliament agree, the two countries' citizens will be able to travel to the Schengen zone visa-free for up to 90 days by the end of the year.
The promise is not unconditional, however. In return Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina are expected to deal with their political instability, promote the re-integration of returning refugees and combat corruption and organized crime more effectively.
“Granting visa-free travel is a cornerstone of the EU’s integration policy for Western Balkans”, stressed EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, as she made the announcement today.
The news comes ahead of a ministerial meeting of EU and Western Balkans in Sarajevo on 2 June, boosting the expectations of the EU hopefuls.
Reassuring words came also from European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, who rejected suggestions that the EU’s enthusiasm for expansion had been damped by Europe’s debt crisis. “The current crisis cannot be an excuse for not continuing our efforts to reunite the European family, notably the Balkan countries,” Barroso said.
The European Commission will again examine the progress made by Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina in September, before a final visa-scrapping decision is taken by the member states and the European Parliament.
Last year, visa freedom was granted to Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Outside the Balkans, hopes for a visa-free travel to the EU’s Schengen zone have long been cherished by Russia. Moscow wants the EU to come up with a promise of lifting its visa requirements at the 31 May-1 June Russia-EU summit in Rostov-on-Don.
