Europe to decide on Albania’s visa-free in November

TIRANA, July 19 – November is the likeliest time Albanians will get visa-free travel to much of Europe.
The European Union is expected to produce its annual progress report and also the response to Tirana’s request for the candidate status by that time.
The Belgian EU presidency has set November as the month to discuss whether to lift the bloc’s visa regime for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
EU interior ministers will discuss it on Nov. 8 and 9.
A positive decision would allow Albanians to travel without visas to EU countries for the country’s national holiday at the end of the month.
A team of EU experts wrapped up their visit to Tirana where they had been assessing progress in meeting visa liberalization criteria.
The European Parliament will give its verdict in September and the interior ministers’ meeting will be the decisive one.