Visa facilitation for Albanians

TIRANA, Nov. 13 – European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin negotiations on visas and readmission agreements with the Western Balkan countries, including Albania, widely seen as unlikely to join the bloc in the near future. Visa facilitation and readmission agreements will be negotiated with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, said a statement by EU ministers, issued at a regular meeting in Brussels. The EU has adopted the negotiation mandate for a visa facilitation pact with Albania, which already has a readmission treaty with the EU. That was the reason why this country would be the first to start negotiations with the EU on deciding the visa facilitation procedures. Negotiations should be concluded by June 2007 at the latest, the EU commission said in a separate statement. A first round of talks will be held in Brussels on November 30, it added.
The EU last week cautioned Western Balkan states against expecting any quick entry into the bloc, saying the EU’s embrace of the region would only occur in the “medium to long-term.” The bloc’s foreign ministers said Monday that “the conclusion of these agreements will be important in fostering people to people contacts between the Western Balkan countries and the EU … and an important and necessary step forward,” foreign ministers said. Further progress on the long path to aspired EU membership would depend on implementing relevant reforms, ministers warned. They urged the Western Balkans countries to step up their efforts to strengthen the rule of law, fight organized crime and corruption, combat illegal migration and increase their administrative capacity in border control and security of documents. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, welcomed the decision on negotiating visa and readmission deals as “really good news for the citizens in the region and a tangible proof of what the European perspective can offer.” Making visa procedures easier “should encourage the Western Balkan countries to implement relevant reforms and reinforce their cooperation at regional level and with the EU,” said EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn and his colleague for justice and home affairs, Franco Frattini. “The overall aim of the agreements is to make it easier for citizens of Western Balkan countries, in particular those who travel most, to acquire visas for the EU, whilst simultaneously having clear rules on combating illegal immigration. Within the framework of the Visa Facilitation agreement, we will negotiate reduction of the handling fees for all Western Balkan citizens. Furthermore for certain categories of persons, that will be determined jointly with our negotiating partners, we will simplify the necessary documentary evidence, make it possible for them to obtain multi-entry visas with long periods of validity and exempt them from handling fees. The agreements on readmission will set out clear obligations and procedures for the authorities of both the Western Balkan countries and EU Member State as to when and how to take back people who are illegally residing on their territories,” said the statement. “Visa facilitation should encourage the Western Balkan countries to implement relevant reforms and reinforce their cooperation at regional level and with the EU in areas such as strengthening the rule of law, fighting organized crime and corruption, and increasing their administrative capacity in border control and security of documents by introducing biometric data. The conclusion of visa facilitation agreements is linked to the conclusion of readmission agreements which will contribute to combating illegal migration.”
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha hailed the procedure as “a really important step and very much welcome in the process of the country’s integration” “I would also like to remind Albanians that the fight against organized crime is fundamental for progress in this direction.” Berisha said that the fight against crime in the country should remain an absolute priority.
In a meeting with senior police officials on discussing the topics of the European Commission 2006 progress report on Albania, Interior Minsiter Sokol Olldashi also hailed the decision and set the objectives for police in the future.