Sword of Damocles hangs over visa liberalisation

UK MEP Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on European justice and human rights - who drafted the European Parliament foreign affairs committee's opinion endorsing the move - said:

"Freer travel will broaden the international outlook of Bosnians and Albanians, and in particular these countries' next generation of leaders. Fostering the links between the Western Balkans and the European Union will reduce the potential for our South-Eastern neighbours to revert to nationalism, conflict and ethnic hatred, making them and us safer as a result."

"However, the hard work will not be over for Bosnia and Albania. Their authorities like those of the other Western Balkan countries relieved of visa demands must be vigilant that the scheme is not abused, as that could well bring us back to square one."

Ludford also said she hoped that successful Schengen visa liberalisation may also encourage the UK to review its own visa requirements for Balkan nationals.

Dutch Green MEP Marije Cornelissen said: "The final obstacle has been cleared for the belated but welcome inclusion of Bosnia and Albania in the EU's visa-free travel scheme. We welcome that the opposition in Council - notably from France - was overcome and that ministers approved the decision unanimously."

"This important decision will give a crucial boost to the citizens of these two countries - giving them the same rights and privileges as their neighbours - and it is important that the EU has decided this with one voice," Cornelissen said. 

Greens/European Free Alliance foreign affairs spokesperson and European Parliament rapporteur on Kosovo, Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek, said: "Today's decision is another step in the progress of the Balkan countries towards their European destiny, but the case of Kosovo is now all the more pressing. It is now the last remaining exception to the rule of the inclusion of Balkan countries in the EU's visa-free travel scheme."

"We urge the Commission to move to immediately resolve this anomaly. While a small minority of member states still does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, this is no reason to deny its citizens the right to the visa-free travel that is now offered to all others in the region," Lunacek said.

UKIP MEP Gerard Batten, his party's spokesman on civil liberties, said: "This European Council decision will mean that many more people will come to live in the UK."

"The Schengen Agreement may be the law, but means freer immigration in practice. This is on top of all the EU migrants from Eastern Europe post-2004 and now the newly announced immigrants from India," Batten said.

"The bottom line is that Britain in overcrowded. David Cameron is being irresponsible letting so many new people in. We can only get back control of our immigration system by withdrawing from the political union that is the EU," he declared.

"Given that Bosnian President [Alija] Izetbegovic gave a general amnesty to Al Qaeda terrorists in the 1990s, this report also increases the danger of Islamic terrorists gaining easy access to Britain. This is a very bad deal for British citizens," Batten concluded.