The EU’s plan that lets people from Kosovo visit the Schengen area for up to 90 days without a visa started on Monday. This is seen as a move towards Kosovo being fully recognized.
On January 1, the European Union’s much-anticipated plan to let people from Kosovo travel to Europe’s borderless area without a visa began. The first travelers said it was a big relief.
Starting at midnight, this new rule allows people from Kosovo to enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days within 180 days. In Pristina, this change is seen as another step towards full recognition and a push for the country, which declared independence in 2008, to join the European Union.
“This is a big relief… it feels good,” said businessman Rushit Sopi to AFP before taking a flight from Pristina to Vienna. He was one of 20 winners of a quiz organized by the government as part of a public awareness campaign.”
The 48-year-old boss of a business that makes doors and windows often travels to the EU for work. “Every visa cost me €300 ($331). When I got a new passport, I figured out that the EU visas in it cost me €2,500.”
In Pristina, European embassies, especially ones that felt a lot of pressure to give out visas, like the German consulate, were ready for the day when visas would not be needed. The German ambassador, Jorn Rohde, gave out the last visas to people from Kosovo a few days ago. He said that the time of needing visas was “finally ending.” He also invited people to visit Germany for the Euro football championship this summer.
Kosovo, which has 1.8 million people, was the last of the six countries in the Western Balkans to not need visas anymore.
Average wages in Kosovo are just over €400, and more than 20% of young people are unemployed, making it one of the poorest countries in Europe.
For the last two months, the government in Pristina has been running a campaign encouraging people not to abuse their freedom to travel by seeking jobs in the EU. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has personally led this campaign, visiting different parts of the country to talk about the advantages of the new system.
“Today is significant. We are correcting a big wrong and giving people a big right,” he said to the winners of a quiz at Pristina airport before they left for Vienna.
The leader of the country, called the prime minister, told people from Kosovo to follow the rules and remember that Kosovo is their home, no matter where they go.
His helper, Besnik Bislimi, who works on joining Europe, said that if people misuse the system, it could cause problems from the European Union that would hurt the whole country.
