Dear all, dear friends,
I am very happy to be here today, exactly one day after the European Commission proposed to offer visa-free travel to Kosovo.
Kosovo has made incredible progress, and our proposal is the direct result of the hard work and successful efforts of the Kosovo authorities in achieving far-reaching and difficult reforms in the Justice and Home Affairs area and beyond.
These reforms are important, not only for the visa dialogue, but also for the strengthening of rule of law, for the internal security and the good functioning of the judicial system in Kosovo.
Their continuous implementation will be beneficial long-term.
Our progress report confirms that Kosovo has met all the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap, on the understanding of course that by the day of adoption of this proposal by the European Parliament and Council, Kosovo will have ratified the border agreement with Montenegro and strengthened its track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
I know that the Kosovo authorities are very committed to further fulfilling these benchmarks before adoption of the proposal.
And the Commission is there to support them in that process.
Visa liberalisation will facilitate people-to-people contacts and strengthen business, social and cultural ties between the EU and Kosovo.
I now hope that the European Parliament and the Council will adopt our proposal very soon – and I look forward to further collaborating with the Kosovo authorities.
I know how important visa-free travel is for the people of Kosovo.
It’s an important step bringing Kosovo closer to Europe, paving the way for deeper cooperation in many issues.
We should not forget that the visa-free travel is a right accompanied with obligations.
The Authorities have already started information campaigns to prevent abuses of the visa-free scheme that could lead to its suspension.
Today is a day of celebration. An important step in the process has been completed.
My presence, and Federica’s presence here today is to demonstrate that we look forward to continue our dialogue and cooperation on this issue, but also on all other issues related to justice and home affairs.