Nezavisne novine: BiH has fulfilled around 90% of the requirements, which lead towards the liberalization of visa regime, has been said by Dmitris Kourkoulas, chief of the European Commission Delegation in BiH.
"In relation to the condition in July, an obvious progress has been noticed", Kourkoulas has said, by reflecting on the then negative grade of the European Commission on liberalization of visa regime for BiH. He has said that some necessary laws have been harmonized since then between the RS and the FBiH.
"I cannot prejudge the opinion of experts, but as we can estimate, that job has been done on a satisfying level", Kourkoulas has said. He has pointed out that there is still the problem of biometric passports in BiH, whose printing has been late for a month due to technical problems in the German printing house. He has added that BiH is now at a similar level, at which Serbia and Montenegro were in June, when the European Commission has recommended them to the Council for liberalization of visa regime.
"We are all sorry because BiH was not ready earlier. But, I believe that fulfilling the conditions and reaching the standards are firstly very useful for BiH", he has said.
Today, in the European Parliament there will be held a deliberation on visas for Western Balkans, while the draft report will be presented by the representative of Slovenia in the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon.
In behalf of the Cabinet for civil freedoms and internal affairs of the European Parliament, Fajon calls on taking into consideration the progress, and enabling the liberalization of visa regime as soon as possible.
If Brussels concludes that BiH and Albania have progressed in fulfilling the conditions, a new regulation, which would relate to these two countries, will have to be adopted, and it will last at least six months.
Fajon has said that the Committee counts on the support of the European Parliament relate to putting BiH and Albania on a white list and giving to the Member States a clear signal that once these two countries fulfill all the conditions, that they will join the free visa regime very soon.
This would mean that a special regulation would not have to be adopted for BiH and Albania, but the European Commission will “include” these two countries to the rest of the countries of Western Balkans, which have already been given a green light on getting the visa liberalization after fulfilling the conditions.