Serbia hopes to be visa-free

16/06/2009

Visa liberalisation could become a reality for Serbia before the end of this year, but some hurdles remain to be crossed.

By Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 16/06/09

Serbian citizens hope to be able to travel to the EU-member countries without a visa. [Getty Images]

Serbian hopes of being placed on the EU's "White Schengen" list received a boost as EU foreign ministers met in Luxembourg Monday (June 15th). They gave the thumbs-up to European Commission (EC) plans to lift visa requirements this year for countries which have fulfilled the conditions.

Earlier this month, European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said Serbia and two other Western Balkan countries are in the running. While Serbia and neighbouring Montenegro have met most of the benchmarks, Barrot said, Macedonia has completed them all.

Serbia will work to "implement all technical and other conditions" so the visa regime can be dropped in the fall, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Delic told reporters.

"We had a very important and successful day in our European integration," the daily Blic quoted him as saying. "We can say for the first time that between us and White Schengen there is nothing else but a serious technical work. There is no other political condition or decision."

The government has staked much on the process. Last year, Djelic came under fire for his campaign promise that the visa regime would be lifted quickly if the Democratic Party (DP) were re-elected. Voters gave the DP a renewed mandate, and are now waiting to see if it will make good on that pledge.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, whose Socialist Party is a junior member of the ruling coalition, has taken a more cautious line. He says he expects the visas to be removed sometime next year and has warned against rushing the process.

"I consider the dilemmas about the exact date of being placed on the White Schengen List less important than the progress made in that process," Dacic said. Discussing the visa issue on June 4th, Barrot indicated that Serbia would have to work hard to have the restrictions lifted. He also stressed that all EU member states must consent to the EC's proposal.

The EC has assessed the readiness of all three countries to have their visas annulled, assigning each a number from 1 to 3. Macedonia received the top mark, 1, while Serbia and Montenegro each scored 1.7. Serbia's low score is reportedly due to the way it is handling passports for Albanians in Kosovo and Serbs from Republika Srpska.

Along with easing the visa rules, Serbia is pushing to have its Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU -- and an associated trade agreement -- unblocked. Both are on ice because of Belgrade's failure to extradite wanted war crimes indictees Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.

UN chief war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz briefed EU foreign ministers at Monday's meeting in Luxembourg. He reportedly praised Serbia's co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia but said more remained to be done.

The Netherlands, joined by Belgium, has staunchly opposed moving ahead with the SAA until all conditions are met. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has been downplaying rumours that his country is ready to budge on the trade deal.

According to the minister, the Netherlands will accept lifting visa restrictions but will not bow to pressure over the trade pact or SAA. The European Council will take up the matter during its summit on Thursday and Friday.