Ambassador of France Marie-Christine Butel : Kosovo has not met all the criteria for visa liberalization

Marie-Christine Butel 

 France's ambassador to Kosovo, Marie-Christine Butel, also says that Kosovo needs to make progress in the rule of law to get the green light for visa liberalization.

In an interview, following his appointment as ambassador to Pristina, Butel spoke also about the issue of resuming dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, the creation of a new government and also the ongoing clashes between Pristina and Belgrade.

Marie-Christine Butel: France is a long-standing partner country of Kosovo. Together with the United States and many European partners, hs was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence and has consistently supported it since. The issue of short-stay visa liberalization in the Schengen area is based on technical criteria. This implies fulfilling a number of conditions, particularly in relation to strengthening the rule of law and combating organized crime activities.

France considers, among other member states, that some of these conditions have not been fully met by Kosovo; remains particularly attentive to developments regarding the rule of law and the fight against organized crime activities. Significant progress has been made in this area. However, the continued implementation of the reforms by the Kosovo authorities is essential so that laws adopted to strengthen the rule of law and justice can be implemented consistently and irreversibly.

As you have mentioned, the European Parliament and the European Commission have given a favorable opinion on visa liberalization for Kosovo. This topic remains under consideration by the Council of the European Union, which will address it when conditions are met.