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Source: ONE News
The European Parliament backed plans to grant visa-free travel
within the EU for Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro from December
19, while urging more reforms elsewhere in the Western
Balkans.
All three countries hope to join the European Union in coming years
and visa liberalisation is seen as a cornerstone of EU policy aimed
at stabilising the region.
EU ministers are likely to give the final approval to the plan
later this month.
"I do expect ministers to support this on Nov. 30," said Tanja
Fajon, a Slovenian MEP.
EU parliamentarians said Albania and Bosnia had yet to meet the
criteria for easier travel and urged politicians to press on with
reforms, including fighting corruption and organised crime.
Better procedures for delivering passport control are also
key.
They urged the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to review
reform progress early next year, opening the way for lifting visa
restrictions by the middle of 2010.
"I believe by the spring they will be able to fulfill all the
conditions ... It is not right for the two to be excluded from the
visa liberalisation programme," Fajon said.
Parliament also urged the EU executive to start talks on lifting
visa rules for Kosovo, even though several EU countries have not
recognised it as an independent state since last year's declaration
of independence from Serbia.
