ESI opinion: France backtracking on EU promise to the Balkans?

By Gerald Knaus and Alexandra Stiglmayer

29 September 2010

On 14 September the European Commission reported that Albania and Bosnia had done all that the European Union had asked them to do to qualify for visa-free access to the Schengen area. This was the official acknowledgement of more than two years of hard work and difficult reforms.

Macedonians, Montenegrins and Serbs have benefited from travel to the EU without any restrictions since last December. All that now separates Albanians and Bosnians from enjoying the same freedom by the end of 2010 are votes in the European Parliament and the Council lifting the visa barrier.

The EU's visa liberalisation process is a great example of EU soft power based on clear conditionality. In early 2008 five Balkan countries received detailed "visa roadmaps" that listed close to 50 benchmarks. The requirements ranged from secure biometric passports to well-protected borders, from new mechanisms to fight organised crime and illegal migration to improved cooperation with European law enforcement agencies. The process has turned the Balkan countries into partners helping protect the EU from external threats...more see:

http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=481