Bosnia, Albania Step Closer to Visa-Free Travel

European home affairs Commissioner, Swedish, Cecilia Malmstrom, gives a news conference on visa-free travel for Bosnia and Albania at the european commission headqarters in Brussels, Belgium, 27 May 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The European Commission recommended on Thursday the granting of visa freedom to Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, if they meet certain criteria.

The message was delivered ahead of an EU-Balkans foreign ministers' meeting in Sarajevo on June 2 and is meant to provide a much- needed boost to the countries' hopes of European integration.

Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for home affairs, said that the two countries had delivered “good results” in meeting conditions for visa-free travel.

"I know how much visa-free travel means to the people of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Granting visa-free travel is a cornerstone of the EU's integration policy for the Western Balkans," said Malmström, as cited by New Europe.

The Commissioner stressed that the waiver on visa requirements could only be finalised if the two countries passed a review that EU experts will conduct in the summer, to make sure they have met all the necessary conditions. The proposal then has to be approved by the European Parliament and member states.

“I am quite optimistic that sometime in the autumn we can get a decision, providing the two countries do what they have to do,” said Malmström.

The Commission said Albania still had to adopt a policy to strengthen its fight against organised crime and corruption, and implement laws to confiscate assets taken from criminal gangs.

The recommendation on lifting the visas is expected to be reviewed by MEPs and member states in September and could be approved in December, a year after visa requirements were lifted for citizens of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!