Thaci: EU damaging own credibility by conditioning visa liberalisation (Klan Kosova)
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, called on the European Union to discontinue conditioning visa liberalisation as Kosovo more progress in meeting European standards than other countries in the region. In a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council, Thaci said: “The completely unfair approach on the part of European Union towards Kosovo is preventing the citizens from travelling freely without visas. The country has made more progress than any other country in the region in the fight against corruption and organised crime. Any further conditioning of visas with this fight would damage the EU credibility in Kosovo. The EU may not be concerned with its credibility in the country but this shall not pass without certain consequences.” Kosovo institutions have undertaken a series of measures aimed at fighting organised crime and corruption and results are tangible, he added. “Different assessments from organisations about the progress in this filed may not reflect the reality on the ground because they are based on perceptions. Oftentimes reality in Kosovo is not reported and the perception is worse than the actual situation,” Thaci noted.