REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Fourth report on progress by Kosovo* in fulfilling the requirements of the visa liberalisation roadmap
Date: 2016-05-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU visa policy, Kosovo, freedom of movement, frontier, identity document, migration policy, national implementing measure, personal data, public order, return migration

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ 
Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 4.5.2016  COM(2016) 276 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Fourth report on progress by Kosovo* in fulfilling the requirements of the visa liberalisation roadmap {SWD(2016) 160 final}  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. INTRODUCTION 

The European Commission launched a visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo on 19 January 
2012.  On  14  June  2012,  it  handed  over  to  Kosovo  a  roadmap,  which  identified  all  the 
legislation  and  other  measures  that  Kosovo  needed  to  adopt  and  implement  to  advance 
towards visa liberalisation.  

The Commission adopted three previous reports on Kosovo’s progress in the visa dialogue—
the  first  one  on  8  February  2013;1  the  second  one  on  24  July  2014;2  the  third  one  on  18 
December  2015.3  These  reports  contained  an  assessment  of  progress  made  by  Kosovo, 
recommendations to the Kosovo authorities and statistical data about the potential migratory 
and security impacts of visa liberalisation. 

In  its  third  report,  the  Commission  set  out  eight  recommendations  corresponding  to  eight 
outstanding requirements of the visa roadmap, including four key priorities. It noted that one 
of  the  requirements—Kosovo’s  ratification  of  the  border/boundary  delineation  agreement 
with Montenegro—would need to be completed before Kosovo is transferred to the visa-free 
list.  

Building  upon  the  outcome  of  a  technical  assessment  mission  to  Kosovo  on  17-18  March 
2016,  the  present  report  sets  out  the  Commission’s  assessment  of  Kosovo’s  progress  in 
fulfilling the outstanding eight requirements of the visa roadmap. 

It  draws  upon  documents  submitted  by  Kosovo,  reports  drafted  by  EU  Member  States’ 
experts participating in the assessment mission of 17-18 March 2016, information provided by 
EUROPOL,  FRONTEX,  EASO  and  EULEX,  as  well  as  statistical  data  compiled  by 
EUROSTAT and supplied by Member States.  

The migration and security impact assessment of visa liberalisation for Kosovo, as well as the 
set  of  measures  that  Kosovo  has  implemented  since  December  2015  to  prevent  an  irregular 
migration crisis, are set out in the accompanying staff working document.4 

The visa dialogue is conducted without prejudice to EU Member States’ position on status. 

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ 
Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 
1 COM (2013) 66 final. 
2 COM(2014) 488 final. 
3 COM(2015)  906 final, accompanied by SWD(2015) 706 final. 
4 SWD(2016) 160 final. 

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2. REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO READMISSION AND REINTEGRATION 

2.1. Readmission 

Kosovo  fulfils  all  seven  requirements  in  the  area  of  readmission.  The  Commission’s  third 
report noted no outstanding requirement in this area. 

2.2. Reintegration 

Kosovo fulfils all three requirements in the area of reintegration. 

The  Commission’s  third  report  noted  that  the  reintegration  fund  should  be  fully  disbursed, 
with a focus on offering assistance with employment, the establishment of small businesses, 
vocational training and linguistic training for children.  

On  9  March  2016,  Kosovo  adopted  a  regulation  on  reintegration  that  opened  up  access  to 
assistance  with  self-employment  and  business  start-ups  for  all  returnees  regardless  of  their 
departure  date  from  Kosovo.5  Vulnerable  returnees  have  access  to  the  full  range  of 
reintegration services regardless of their departure date from Kosovo. 

In the first quarter of 2016, 704 returnees benefited from sustainable reintegration services. In 
2015 and 2014, respectively, 336 and 628 returnees did so in the whole year (see Figure 1).  

Figure 1: Beneficiaries of sustainable reintegration services 

Type of sustainable reintegration service 

2014 

2015 

Q1 2016 

Self-employment assistance 
Business start-ups 
Vocational training 
Language classes for children 
Total 
Source: Kosovo, 2016 

4 
191 
122 
311 
628 

89 
64 
63 
120 
336 

180 
13 
183 
328 
704 

Since December 2015, a specialist consultancy has been offering assistance to returnees with 
business start-ups. Municipalities have also considerably increased their local outreach effort.  

Kosovo improved the disbursement rate of its reintegration fund in 2016. In the first quarter 
of  2016,  it  spent  €500  thousand  (25%)  on  sustainable  reintegration  services  and  committed 
€1.1  million  (57%)  of  this  €2-million  fund  to  job  creation  for  returnees  through  two 
programmes:  a  UNDP  programme  offering  on-the-job  training  and  wage  subsidies  and  the 
above consultancy project offering assistance with business start-ups. 

In  contrast,  the  fund’s  planned  budget  of  €2.1  million  was  reduced  in  mid-2015  to  €1.2 
million owing to poor disbursement in the first half. By the end of 2015, only €930 thousand 
(44%  of  the  planned  budget)  had  been  spent.  In  2014,  €1.5  million  (72%)  of  the  fund  was 
spent, with the rest returned to the budget.  

5 Access to housing, which Kosovo considers a push factor, remains the sole category of services that only those 
who left Kosovo before July 2010 can benefit from. 

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Overall,  Kosovo  has  fulfilled  the  outstanding  requirement  of  disbursing  the  reintegration 
fund,  with  a  focus  on  offering  assistance  with  employment,  the  establishment  of  small 
businesses, vocational training and linguistic training for children. 

3. BLOCK 1: DOCUMENT SECURITY 

Kosovo fulfils all nine requirements in the area of document security.  

The Commission’s third report noted that Kosovo should demonstrate that it has implemented 
its amended secondary legislation on name changes. 

Since July 2015, Kosovo has implemented new secondary legislation on name changes.6 This 
body  of  legislation  introduced  additional  safeguards  against  fraudulent  name  changes, 
including the provision that those under criminal procedure cannot make such requests. Based 
on current legislation on names,7 persons can request name changes once every five years. 

Applicants may request name changes on eleven grounds, and they must provide a range of 
supporting  documents  to  demonstrate  the  plausibility  of  their  requests.  Such  supporting 
documents must include an extract of one’s criminal record from the courts of one’s current 
and  previous  places  of  residence.  A  police  certificate  indicating  the  absence  of  a  criminal 
background must also be attached. 

The civil registration agency has set up a new committee to vet each application, which issues 
recommendations  to  local  civil  status  offices  whether  requests  for  name  changes  should  be 
approved. Such recommendations are non-binding, but failure to comply by local offices may 
elicit further investigations. So far, each recommendation has been honoured.  

Since  its  establishment,  the  new  vetting  committee  has  issued  180  recommendations—106 
positive, 74 negative. Comparing the first quarters of 2015 and 2016, there has been a 72% 
drop in requests for changing surnames and a 69% drop in requests for changing first names. 

Overall,  Kosovo  has  fulfilled 
implementation of amended secondary legislation on name changes. 

the  outstanding  key  priority  of  demonstrating 

the 

4. BLOCK 2: BORDER/BOUNDARY AND MIGRATION MANAGEMENT  

4.1. Border/boundary management 

Kosovo  fulfils  fourteen  of  the  fifteen  requirements  in  the  area  of  border/boundary 
management. 

The  Commission’s  third  report  noted  that  the  border/boundary  delineation  agreement  with 
Montenegro,  which  has  been  signed  by  both  parties,  should  be  ratified  before  Kosovo  is 
transferred to the visa-free list. 

6  This  body  of  secondary  legislation  consists  of  an  Administrative  Instruction,  a  circular  issued  by  the  Civil 
Registration Agency and Standard Operating Procedures describing the procedures to be applied.  
7 Law 02/L-118. 

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On  15  March  2016,  Kosovo  established  an  ad  hoc  international  commission  to  review 
border/boundary  delineation  with  Montenegro,  which  concluded  that,  based  on  legal  and 
technical  criteria,  the  Kosovo  process  of  delineating  the  border/boundary  with  Montenegro 
“clearly satisfied international standards,” albeit without the necessary level of transparency.8  

Overall, Kosovo has taken important steps towards fulfilling the outstanding requirement 
of ratifying the border/boundary delineation agreement with Montenegro. Kosovo is working 
towards ratification of this agreement by the day of the adoption of the legislative proposal to 
transfer Kosovo to the visa-free list by the European Parliament and the Council. 

4.2. Migration management 

Kosovo fulfils all ten requirements in the area of migration management. The Commission’s 
third report noted no outstanding requirement in this area. 

4.3. Asylum 

Kosovo fulfils all seven requirements in the area of asylum. 

The  Commission’s  third  report  noted  that  Kosovo  should  monitor  the  reasons  for  its  low 
recognition rate for asylum-seekers. 

The number of asylum-seekers in Kosovo remains very low, as the overwhelming majority of 
third-country nationals consider it a transit location. 70, 98 and 62 persons sought asylum in 
Kosovo, respectively, in 2015, 2014 and 2013. There is no indication so far of a fragmentation 
of the Western Balkan migration route towards Kosovo. 

Kosovo’s asylum system is functioning, and its legislation incorporates essential elements of 
the EU’s asylum acquis. In cases where applicants stayed in Kosovo following their lodging 
an asylum application, Kosovo has consistently followed the asylum procedures set out in its 
legislation. 

The  recognition  rate  also  remains  modest:  in  2015,  two  of  70  asylum-seekers  received 
subsidiary protection; in 2014, one of 98; in 2013, 4 of 62. This represented a recognition rate 
of 3%, 1% and 6%, respectively, in 2015, 2014 and 2013. 

Most  applicants  would  stay  in  Kosovo  for  a  week  before  absconding.  In  2015,  authorities 
were  able  to  conduct  only  six  interviews  of  59  applications,  as  the  other  53  applicants  had 
absconded. Of these six, two persons were granted subsidiary protection, which represents a 
higher recognition rate for individuals whose asylum interviews took place.  

Overall,  Kosovo  has  fulfilled  the  outstanding  requirement  relating  to  monitoring  the  low 
asylum recognition rate. 

8 This report can be found at the following link: http://president-ksgov.net/repository/docs/Final_Report.pdf. 

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5. BLOCK 3: PUBLIC ORDER AND SECURITY  

5.1. Preventing and combating organised crime, corruption and terrorism 

Kosovo  fulfils  fourteen  of  the  fifteen  requirements  in  the  area  of  combating  organised 
crime, corruption and terrorism, as well as sufficient elements of the fifteenth key priority.  

The Commission’s third report noted three outstanding key priorities in the field of combating 
organised crime, corruption and terrorism: 

-  Transferring a sufficient number of judges, with appropriate support staff, to serious crime 

departments across courts in Kosovo;  

-  Building  up  a  track  record  of  investigations,  final  court  rulings  and  confiscations  in 
serious organised crime and corruption cases, notably by endowing the central coordinator 
for serious organised crime and corruption cases with the mandate and resources to lead 
multidisciplinary teams of financial investigations and to monitor the judicial follow-up of 
such cases;  

-  Ensuring  the  operational  independence  of  the  Public  Procurement  Review  Body  and 
implementing strict integrity plans to protect the independence of this body and the Public 
Procurement Regulatory Commission.  

Transferring judges and support staff to serious crime departments in basic courts 

Since July 2015, the Kosovo judicial council (KJC) has transferred 6 judges to the basic court 
in Prishtinë/Priština, increasing the total number to 18. The KJC has also transferred judges to 
other  basic  courts:  one  to  Ferizaj/Uroševac,  two  to  Gjakova/Đakovica  and  one  to  Pejë/Peć, 
bringing the total number of judges in each basic court to at least six. The KJC has increased 
judges’ salaries and launched the recruitment of six professional associates and published in 
February 2016 vacancies for another 25.  

On 24 March, the assembly amended the KJC law9 to eliminate the previous six-month cap on 
transfers, enabling transfers “for a reasonable period of time.” As the average case takes about 
eight  months  to  complete,  this  amendment  was  a  crucial  component  of  strengthening  the 
judicial follow-up of serious organised crime and corruption cases in Kosovo.10 

Overall, Kosovo has fulfilled the outstanding key priority of transferring a sufficient number 
of judges and support staff to serious crime departments in basic courts. 

Building up a track record of investigations, final court rulings and confiscations in serious 
organised crime and corruption cases 

Between September and December 2015, the Kosovo prosecutorial council (KPC) set up an 
integrated case management system enabling the tracking of a select number of high-profile 

9 Law 05/L-094. The amendment concerning the duration of transfers entered into force on 6 April 2016. 
10 The March 2016 visa assessment mission also confirmed the personal commitment of the transferred judges 
interviewed to reach verdicts in cases assigned to them before their transfer expires. 

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organised crime and corruption cases from investigation, via prosecution, to final conviction. 
It is based on a sophisticated database that functions as an IT and management tool.  

Cases  are  selected  by  the  central  coordinator  under  the  special  prosecution  and  within  a 
multidisciplinary  structure  extending  to  the  police,  the  financial  intelligence  unit,  the  tax 
administration,  the  agency  for  the  administration  of  confiscated  and  sequestrated  assets 
(AMSCA),  the  correctional  service  and  the  serious  crime  departments of  basic  courts.  Each 
body  has  seconded  permanent  members  to  this  multidisciplinary  structure,  who  feed  the 
database  and  exchange  information  on  cases.  Each  targeted  case  is  handled  as  top  priority. 
Court  presidents  must  immediately  allocate  them  to  judges  and  report  to  the  KJC,  on  a 
monthly basis, about actions taken and judicial developments. 

Kosovo  has  targeted  31  organised  crime  and  corruption  cases  in  this  database.  To  date, 
prosecutors have filed 15 indictments against 54 persons. Investigations were dropped in two 
cases; 14 cases remain under investigation. One of these cases resulted in convictions at first 
instance  on  6  April  2016:  a  panel  of  judges  found  three  defendants  guilty  on  charges  of 
corruption. The chief defendant received a three-year prison sentence and other penalties; the 
second  defendant,  18  months  in  prison;  the  third,  a  fine.  The  chief  defendant  had  been  the 
prosecutor in a case of suspected murder and was sentenced for having accepted a bribe.  

On 27 April 2016, Kosovo arrested six people as part of an investigation into an alleged land 
scam  of  buying  and  selling  publicly-owned  land,  amounting  to  €30  million.  A  prominent 
legislator  was  the  alleged  leader  of  this  fraud,  which  may  have  involved  40  people.  This 
person surrendered to authorities on 29 April 2016. The investigation concerned a large-scale 
organised  criminal  group,  active  from  2006  to  date,  involving  organised  crime,  money-
laundering, abuse of official position, falsifying documents and giving and receiving bribes. 

Kosovo  has  also  made  progress  in  freezing  and  seizing  illicitly  obtained  assets,  but  only  a 
limited fraction has been confiscated in the absence of final verdicts. The estimated value of 
frozen, sequestrated and confiscated assets stands at €20.6 million.11 Between 2014 and 2015, 
the value of confiscated assets increased from EUR 130.000 to EUR 450.000. The number of 
court orders for freezing, sequestration or confiscation has increased from 204 to 242.  

There  remains  a  gap  in  assets  transferred  to  AMSCA.  In  2015,  only  18%  of  newly  seized 
assets were transferred to the agency; 37% was transferred in 2014.  

Overall, Kosovo has fulfilled sufficient elements of the key priority of building up a track 
record of investigations, final court rulings and confiscations in high-profile organised crime 
and corruption cases. It has established a multidisciplinary team of special prosecutors, judges 
and investigators to pursue a select number of high-profile cases, aided by a database. Asset 
freezing and seizures have increased,  although confiscations in the absence of final verdicts 
remain low. This system has already yielded results in one case, but the judicial follow-up of 
the  remaining  cases,  the  transfer  of  seized  assets  and  final  confiscation  require  sustained 
attention  from  the  authorities.  Kosovo  is  actively  working  towards  strengthening  its  track 
record in the fight against organised crime, corruption and terrorism. 

11 These statistics concern only new cases generated in 2015. 

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Ensuring  the  operational  independence  of  the  Public  Procurement  Review  Body  and 
implementing  strict  integrity  plans  to  protect  its  independence  and  that  of  the  Public 
Procurement Regulatory Commission 

Since  July  2015,  Kosovo  has  taken  considerable  steps  to  strengthen  the  integrity  of  public 
procurement.  The  former  head  of  the  public  procurement  review  body  (PPRB),  indicted  on 
charges of corruption, has been removed from office, and  amendments to the law on public 
procurement adopted by the assembly on 19 February 201612 have enabled the suspension and 
removal  from  office,  pending  a  final  conviction,  of  members  of  this  body  who  have  been 
indicted. Upon the recommendation of a selection body composed of  supreme court  judges, 
the assembly appointed on 30 March the new chairperson and remaining two members of the 
PPRB, rendering it fully operational.  

A review of recent cases of procurement appeals also exhibits progress. In 592 appeals filed 
in 2015, the PPRB took decisions favourable to economic operators in 129 cases. Altogether, 
the  PPRB  reassessed  196  cases,  re-tendering  129  of  them  in  2015.  This  is  a  considerable 
improvement  compared  to  July  2015  when  the  success rate  of  the  PPRB  in  reviews  against 
economic operators was 100%. In cases where economic operators appealed to the basic court 
of Prishtinë/Priština, most of the PPRB’s decisions were upheld. 

A public procurement strategy is also due to be adopted in May 2016, which seeks to improve 
integrity, accountability and responsibility in public procurement on the basis of a modernised 
public procurement system. 

Electronic  procurement  was  launched  on  5  January  2016.  The  electronic  procurement 
platform became operational for all central tendering procedures on 1 April 2016. All central-
level  budgetary  organisations  are  mandated  to  start  using  the  electronic  system  by  1 
September;  all  Kosovo  budgetary  organisations  by  1  January  2017.  The  Kosovo  electricity 
operator became the first body to use the electronic procurement platform on 25 March 2016.  

Overall,  Kosovo  has  fulfilled  the  outstanding  key  priority  of  ensuring  the  operational 
independence of the public procurement review body and implementing strict integrity plans 
to protect its independence and that of the public procurement regulatory commission. 

5.2. Law enforcement cooperation 

Kosovo  fulfils  all  eleven  requirements  in  the  area  of  law  enforcement  cooperation.  The 
Commission’s third report noted no outstanding requirement in this area. 

5.3. Judicial cooperation in criminal matters 

Kosovo fulfils all seven requirements in the area of judicial cooperation in criminal matters. 
The Commission’s third report noted no outstanding requirement in this area. 

5.4. Data protection 

Kosovo fulfils all three requirements in the area of data protection. The Commission’s third 
report noted no outstanding requirement in this area. 

12 Law No. 05/L-092. 

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6.  BLOCK  4:  FUNDAMENTAL  RIGHTS  RELATED  TO  THE  FREEDOM  OF 
MOVEMENT 

Kosovo fulfils all eight requirements in the area of fundamental rights related to the freedom 
of movement. 

The  Commission’s  third  report  noted  that  Kosovo  should  provide  appropriate  premises  for 
and ensure the full budgetary independence of the ombudsperson. 

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the ombudsperson and the ministry of 
public administration on 12 February 2016. This allocates suitable premises in the capital to 
the ombudsperson. Refurbishment started in April 2016, with the ombudsperson’s move due 
to be completed by July 2016.  

The  ministry  of  finance  has  allocated  an  additional  EUR  98.000  to  the  ombudsperson.  This 
will cover the salaries of another nine staff created by the July 2015 human rights package, 
which  increased  the  ombudsperson’s  tasks  in  the  field  of  anti-discrimination  and  gender 
equality.   

To enhance the ombudsperson’s budgetary independence, Kosovo committed on 18 February 
201613  to  allocate  to  it  a  budget  of  EUR  422.000.  This  amount  corresponds  to  the 
ombudsperson’s  request  and  will  enable  it  to  carry  out  new  tasks  flowing  from  the  human 
rights  package.  The  ombudsperson  law14  provides  that  this  institution’s  budget  can  only  be 
reduced with the ombudsperson’s approval.  

Overall,  Kosovo  has  fulfilled  the  outstanding  requirement  relating  to  the  provision  of 
appropriate premises and full budgetary independence of the ombudsperson. 

7. CONCLUSION 

The present report complements the previous three adopted by the Commission on Kosovo’s 
progress in the visa dialogue. These reports contained an assessment of progress by Kosovo in 
fulfilling the requirements of the visa roadmap, recommendations addressed to Kosovo and an 
assessment of the potential migratory and security impacts of visa liberalisation. 

In  its  third  report,  the  Commission  set  out  eight  recommendations  corresponding  to  eight 
outstanding requirements of the visa roadmap, including four key priorities. It noted that one 
of  the  requirements  –  Kosovo’s  ratification  of  the  border/boundary  delineation  agreement 
with Montenegro – would need to be completed before Kosovo is transferred to the visa-free 
list.  

The Commission has evaluated Kosovo’s recent steps to fulfil these outstanding requirements. 
Kosovo has provided the necessary legislative and policy documents for this assessment. This 
report has drawn heavily upon the findings of four Member States’ experts who accompanied 
the Commission on an assessment mission to Kosovo on 17-18 March 2016.  

13 Decision No. 05/75 commits the ministry of finance “to implement this decision.” 
14 Law 05/L-019. 

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The potential migratory and security impacts of visa liberalisation for Kosovo, as well as the 
set  of  measures  that  Kosovo  has  implemented  since  December  2015  to  prevent  visa-free 
abuse, are set out in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document. 

The visa dialogue with Kosovo has proved to be an important and particularly effective tool in 
advancing  far-reaching  and  difficult  reforms  in  the  Justice  and  Home  Affairs  field  and 
beyond, impacting areas such as the rule of law and criminal justice reform. These issues are 
also monitored in other frameworks, such as the Justice, Freedom and Security sub-committee 
of the Stabilisation and Association Process.  

The  progress  achieved  by  Kosovo  in  all  areas  covered  by  the  visa  liberalisation  roadmap 
remains steady and effective, demonstrating Kosovo’s long-standing commitment to fulfilling 
the  requirements  of  the  visa  roadmap  as  a  matter  of  overwhelming  priority.  The 
recommendations set out in the Commission’s third report have been addressed to ensure that 
the  legislative  and  policy  framework,  the  institutional  and  organisational  principles  and  the 
implementation  of  procedures  throughout  the  four  blocks,  as  well  as  readmission  and 
reintegration,  comply  with  European  and  international  standards.  This  confirms  Kosovo’s 
willingness to continue tackling these issues in the context of visa liberalisation. 

As  a  result  of  a  set  of  important  measures  that  Kosovo  has  implemented  since  December 
2015, the Commission considers that Kosovo has achieved the following:  

1.  Fulfilled the key priority of transferring a sufficient number of judges and support staff to 

serious crime departments in basic courts; 

2.  Fulfilled  sufficient  elements  of  the  key  priority  of  building  up  a  track  record  of 
investigations,  final  court  rulings  and  confiscations  in  high-profile  organised  crime  and 
corruption cases. It has established a multidisciplinary team of special prosecutors, judges 
and  investigators  to  pursue  a  select  number  of  high-profile  cases,  aided  by  a  database. 
Asset freezing and seizures have increased, although confiscations in the absence of final 
verdicts remain low. This system has already yielded results in one case, but the judicial 
follow-up  of  the  remaining  cases,  the  transfer  of  seized  assets  and  final  confiscation 
require  sustained  attention  from  the  authorities.  Kosovo  is  actively  working  towards 
strengthening  its  track  record  in  the  fight  against  organised  crime,  corruption  and 
terrorism; 

3.  Fulfilled  the  key  priority  of  ensuring  the  operational  independence  of  the  public 
procurement  review  body  and  implementing  strict  integrity  plans  to  protect  its 
independence and that of the public procurement regulatory commission; 

4.  Fulfilled  the  key  priority  of  demonstrating  the  implementation  of  amended  secondary 

legislation on name changes; 

5.  Taken important steps towards fulfilling the requirement of ratifying the border/boundary 
delineation  agreement  with  Montenegro.  Kosovo  is  working  towards  ratification  of  this 
agreement by the day of the adoption of the legislative proposal to transfer Kosovo to the 
visa-free list by the European Parliament and the Council; 

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6.  Fulfilled  the  requirement  of  disbursing  the  reintegration  fund,  with  a  focus  on  offering 
assistance  with  employment,  the  establishment  of  small  businesses,  vocational  training 
and linguistic training for children; 

7.  Fulfilled the requirement relating to monitoring the low asylum recognition rate; 

8.  Fulfilled  the  requirement  relating  to  the  provision  of  appropriate  premises  and  full 

budgetary independence of the ombudsperson. 

Based on this assessment and given the outcome of the continuous monitoring and reporting 
that had been carried out since the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo, the 
Commission  confirms  that  Kosovo  has  met  the  requirements  of  its  visa  liberalisation 
roadmap  on  the  understanding  that  by  the  day  of  the  adoption  of  this  proposal  by  the 
European  Parliament  and  the  Council,  Kosovo  will  have  ratified  the  border/boundary 
agreement  with  Montenegro  and  strengthened  its  track  record  in  the  fight  against  organised 
crime and corruption.  

Taking account of all the criteria which should be considered when determining on a case-by-
case  basis  the  third  countries  whose  nationals  are  subject  to,  or  exempt  from,  the  visa 
requirement  as  laid  down  in  Article  -1  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  539/2001  (as  introduced  by 
Regulation (EU) No 509/2014), the Commission has decided to present a legislative proposal 
to amend Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, transferring Kosovo from Annex I, Part 2 to Annex 
II,  Part  4  of  this  Regulation.  As  indicated  in  the  roadmap,  this  amendment  only  covers 
individuals  who  are  holders  of  biometric  passports  issued  in  compliance  with  International 
Civil  Aviation  Organisation  (ICAO)  standards  and  EU  standards  for  security  features  and 
biometrics in travel documents.15  

Following  the  presentation  of  this  legislative  proposal,  the  Commission  will  continue  to 
actively monitor Kosovo’s ratification of its border/boundary agreement with Montenegro and 
the further development of its track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption. 

The ongoing implementation by Kosovo of all requirements set out in the four blocks of the 
visa  roadmap,  as  well  as  reintegration  and  readmission,  will  be  monitored  in  the  post-visa 
liberalisation  monitoring  mechanism,16  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Process  and,  if 
necessary,  through  ad  hoc  follow-up  mechanisms.  Kosovo  should  ensure  that effective 
measures  remain  in  place  to  prevent  abuse  of  the  visa-free  scheme.  Among  others,  Kosovo 
should organise targeted information campaigns aiming to clarify the rights and obligations of 
visa-free travel to the Schengen area and the rules regulating access to the EU labour market. 
The  Commission  will  continue  to  monitor  and  do  its  utmost  to  support  Kosovo  in  the 
continuous implementation of the requirements of the visa roadmap. 

15 In particular Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 of 13 December 2004 on standards for security features 
and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States, OJ L 385, 29.12.2004, p. 1.  
16 Commission Statement  on a Monitoring Mechanism of 8 November-2010, 2010/0137 (COD). 

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