PhD Candidate in History, Krenare Recaj, has an article published by Open Canada, one of Canada’s leading foreign policy magazines. The article, “It’s Time for Canada to Follow Europe’s Lead on Visa Liberalization for Kosovo,” is currently the front page of the website. A short excerpt is provided below, with the full article available online.
January 1st 2025 marked the one-year anniversary of Kosovo achieving visa liberalization for the Schengen zone, which is made up of 29 European countries who do not have internal border controls and allow common-visa travel across its member states. This includes all European Union (EU) countries, except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as non-EU nations, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Achieving visa liberalization has meant that for a full year Kosovo passport holders have been allowed to travel to 27 European countries without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This milestone was particularly significant, as Kosovo was the last country in the Western Balkans to secure this right.
Canada’s typically cautious approach to international relations often involves waiting for other countries to test new policies and then following suit once the results are clear. Although no policy is without its challenges, in the case of EU visa liberalization the challenges have been minor and manageable, and the benefits have been major and tangible. For European countries that have tested visa liberalization for Kosovo, the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Indeed, it is time Canada followed their lead and began granting visa-free access to Kosovo citizens. Such a move would strengthen Canada’s ties to Kosovo and further promote political, economic and cultural ties between the two nations.
The Road to Europe
Achieving visa liberalization was the culmination of more than a decade of efforts by successive Kosovar governments to grant their citizens the freedom to travel within Europe. Despite fulfilling all the requirements for visa-free Schengen travel by 2018, the final approval was delayed due to concerns by some countries, most notably France and the Netherlands, about a potential surge in migration. Five members of the Schengen zone, that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence – Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain, also opposed the move
For Kosovo’s citizens, the “road to Europe” has been long and arduous. Visa liberalization came despite, at times, firm opposition from some EU leaders. For example, even after the EU announced that visa-free travel would be granted, France’s President Emmanuel Macron warned that France might not comply. Just months before visa liberalization was set to take effect, Macron cautioned that France’s visa policy promises would “be reviewed if both parties do not behave responsibly.” Here, “both parties” refers to the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, who have been engaged in a complex and at times faltering dialogue aimed at normalizing relations – a process tied to both Kosovo and Serbia’s EU accession.