The European Parliament will hold today the first debate on the proposal of the European Commission for removal of visas for Kosovo. The European Commission will initially present its arguments, then the report which has to undergo Parliament procedures will be drafted. Despite the fact that majority of the European Parliament support removal of visas for Kosovo, the procedure to travel without visas this summer might not be reached.

Representatives of Kosovo Serbs at the Assembly claim that there is no reason not to vote the agreement for the demarcation of the border with Montenegro. According to Kosovo Assembly MP from the Serbian List, Nenad Rašić, this would open way to the process of visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens. Rašić told Radio Free Europe that after the liberalization of visas, Kosovo Serbs, no matter where they live, will be interested for the Kosovo passports.

The first debate at the European Parliament on the proposal of the European Commission for granting visa liberalisation for Kosovo is expected to take place this Thursday. Even though the majority of European Parliament members support the view of lifting visa requirements for the people of Kosovo, the voting procedure could extend beyond summer. The newly-appointed European Parliament rapporteur for the visa liberalization for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, said she has an ambitious visa liberalisation plan.

Tanja Fajon, who was also Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Western Balkans, was nominated Rapporteur for visa liberalization for Kosovo. She will be preparing the report which will be initially discussed and voted at the Parliamentary Commission then at the plenary session of the European Parliament.

Even though Kosovo has a strong support of the European Parliament MPs, the procedure requires time and it is not easy to foresee how long it will take.

The news site reports that the Austrian Minister of Interior , Wolfgang Sobotka, told Austrian TV station ORF that the decision to grant visa liberalisation for Kosovo, Turkey, Ukraine and Georgia will be made by the end of June.

Arrests and indictments have intensified in recent weeks in Kosovo, where the authorities admit more cases need to be targeted to meet the EU criteria for visa liberalisation. 

Kosovo is seeing a surge in police and prosecution actions against organised crime, as law enforcement say cases must be targeted to fulfil the criteria set by the EU to abolish visa requirements for Kosovo.