| Author (Corporate) | Council of the European Union, European Parliament |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Official Journal of the European Union |
| Series Details | L 110, Pages 1-4 |
| Publication Date | 25/04/2023 |
| Content Type | Blog & Commentary, Legislation, News, Policy-making |
Summary:Regulation (EU) 2023/850 - formally adopted by the co-legislators on 19 April 2023 - introducing amendments to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 to add Kosovo to the list of those territories whose nationals are exempt from possessing a visa. Further information:The European Commission launched a visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo in January 2012. In June 2012, it presented a roadmap to Kosovo, which identified the legislation and other measures that the country was required to adopt and implement to advance towards visa liberalisation. The roadmap featured two sections - (1) readmission and reintegration; (2) document security; border/boundary and migration management, public order and security, fundamental rights related to free movement. The Commission adopted annual progress reports (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) on the fulfilment of requirements by Kosovo. Based on the assessment of the latest report - published alongside the draft law - and given the outcome of the monitoring and reporting carried out since the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue, the Commission adopted a proposal on 6 May 2016 to amend Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, which comprised a list of non-European Union (EU) countries whose nationals must hold a visa or are exempt from the visa requirement when crossing the external border of the EU. Discussions within the Council of the European Union were put on hold already in 2016, given the existence of unfulfilled benchmarks within the roadmap. The European Parliament's relevant committee adopted a negotiating position in September 2016. The Commission adopted a further report in July 2018 confirming that outstanding matters had been resolved, including the ratification of a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. In November 2018, the co-legislators adopted Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, which codified the existing legislative framework. The Parliament's plenary session endorsed the committee's position in March 2019. Following further discussions in 2018 and 2022, the Council of the European Union eventually adopted its general approach on this file on 30 November 2022. An informal agreement between the co-legislators on a compromise text for the draft law was reached on 14 December. This was formally endorsed by the Council on 9 March 2023 and by the Parliament on 18 April. The Act was signed by the co-legislators on 19 April 2023 and published in the Official Journal on 25 April 2023. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/850/oj |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Subject Tags | Bilateral Relations, Visas |
| Keywords | Free Movement of People |
| Countries / Regions | Kosovo |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
