The European Commission will come up with a legislative proposal before its summer break to provide for Schengen visa-free travel for citizens of Western Balkans countries that meet the criteria, commissioner Olli Rehn said in Luxembourg on June 15 2009.
 
He was speaking at an EC news conference after Czech foreign minister Jan Kohout announced that EU foreign ministers had agreed to encourage the EC to come up with proposals so that all Western Balkans countries meeting the criteria should be allowed access to a liberalised visa system "ideally" by the end of 2009.
 
The countries affected are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. However, not all countries have made complete progress to be exempt from Schengen visa requirements, meaning that only some could benefit if indeed a decision is made to extend the Schengen "white list" by the end of this year.
 
Media reports in late May 2009 said that Macedonia had fulfilled all the conditions to allowed eased access to visas to European Union countries but other Western Balkans states would have a further wait.
 
If the visa system is eased in the case of Macedonia, the change would be made on January 1 2010 at the earliest and March 1 at the latest.
 
Macedonia has fulfilled criteria including document security and steps against illegal migration.
 
At the time, news website B92 said that according to the unofficial version of the European Commission’s report on easing the visa system, Serbia had completed most of the conditions required for liberalisation.
 
European Stability Initiative Senior Analyst Alexandra Stiglmayer said on May 27 that it was possible that Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro would enter the visa-free regime for the traveling to countries of the European Union in January 2010.
 
Kohout told the June 15 news conference that the EU foreign ministers meeting had been given a briefing by Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz.
 
Asked about Brammertz’s briefing and the question of putting the EU Stabilisation and Agreement with Serbia into effect, Kohout said "we are closer to better understand what we can do…I expect the European Council will once again address this issue".
 
Rehn, asked about the implications of the visa liberalisation for Kosovo – which in February 2008 declared independence from Serbia and issues its own passports, but which is not recognised as independent by all EU states – said that the question would be addressed in the context of a feasibility study as part of a report on possible EU expansion later this year. "We want to work for the Europeanisation of Kosovo," Rehn said.
 
Rehn welcomed the EU ministers’ stance on visa liberalisation for the Western Balkans: "The EC has long been committed to visa-free travel for the people of the Western Balkans," he said, especially bearing in mind the young people of the region who wanted to go abroad to study.
 
Ahead of the meeting, Serbian deputy prime minister for European Integration, Bozidar Delic, who led a Serbian delegation to the EU ministers meeting, said that key progress would be made if the EU Council of Ministers makes a joint decision for the first time to support Serbia on the road to the so-called white Schengen list, Serbia’s B92 said.

"We don’t expect any kind of political conditions, one great technical job is now ahead of us, but, as we saw in Brussels on Friday, commissioners Rehn and Barrot said that the Commission will give a recommendation by the end of July for abolishing visas for our citizens, as well as for Macedonia and Montenegro," Delic said.

"They only thing left is to reach a consensus between the member-states of the European Union. What is expected is that all the member-states take the same stance regarding the white Schengen for the first time," he said.