According to the Embassy, in response to EU Helpers, Macron wanted to send a political message to Kosovo and Serbia, and as a result, he is anticipating that "authorities in Kosovo as well as those in Serbia keep their promises and recommit to making progress in the coming weeks" with regard to the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade that aims to produce a normalization agreement.

In light of recent tensions between the two nations, the Embassy claims that President Macron appealed to Serbian President Vucic's sense of responsibility and had exact expectations for Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. EU Helpers reports on this.

Macron said during a news conference on Tuesday in the capital of Albania that France might suspend the visa liberalization for Kosovars if the pledges made by Kosovo are not honored, causing controversy.

Olivier Gero, the French ambassador to Kosovo, has also admitted that such words have been misconstrued.

According to him, France has not yet made a decision about the suspension of visa requirements for Kosovo, and the liberalization of visa requirements will start on January 1, 2024.

According to sources in Brussels, the EU Council must follow specific procedures and apply the 2018 legislation on the mechanism for suspending visas in order to suspend visas.

According to diplomatic sources within the EU, a nation cannot suspend the liberalization of visa requirements for another nation; rather, only a rule from the EU Council may accomplish this.

The president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, also claimed that French institutions had told her that the procedure for granting Kosovars visa liberalization had not been suspended.

Relations between Kosovo and Serbia Due to License Plates & Border Incidents
The Government of Kosovo, under the leadership of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, decided to replace what it deemed unlawful Serbian license plates produced after December 2022 with the official RKS plates as a gesture of reciprocity, which strained relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Since then, unrest has existed in Kosovo's northern area.

One police officer was killed in a terrorist attack on the Kosovo Police on September 24 in the town of Banjska in North Kosovo. Three terrorist assailants also perished in the terrorist strike.

According to the French Embassy in Kosovo, the French President made it clear during the press conference held on Tuesday in Tirana that he expected Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to strongly denounce the events of September 24 and work to reestablish calm at the border.

It's not the first time that Macron's remarks have sparked discussions. According to a source from the European Western Balkans, the President of France issued a warning on August 28 that if Kosovo and Serbia did not conduct properly, his nation will revisit the obligations it has made on economic and political issues of visas for both countries.

In response, Viola von Cramon, the Kosovo representative in the European Parliament, emphasized that the discussion with Serbia is not and should not be connected to Kosovo's ability to travel without a visa.

According to Von Cramon, Kosovo's residents deserve the long overdue liberalization of visa requirements.

Then-Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani emphasized that any restriction of Kosovo residents' ability to visit the EU without a visa would effectively put an end to negotiations with Serbia.

Berlin's stance on this subject hasn't altered, as the German Federal Government already reaffirmed in the wake of Macron's remarks.

Additionally, the German Embassy in Kosovo confirmed earlier this month in a statement that beginning on January 1, 2024, people of Kosovo will be able to enter the Schengen Area for brief stays without a visa.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has officially inaugurated an educational campaign on the guidelines for visa-free travel to the Schengen borderless area, which, as he stated, will prepare Kosovars for what is to come.

In April of this year, the European Union approved visa-free travel for people of Kosovo, emphasizing that they would be able to do so beginning on January 1, 2024, at the latest.

Kosovo was the final nation in the Western Balkans without such a deal with the EU. Kosovars have waited more than 10 years to be able to enter the EU without a visa; however, the procedure has not yet been completed, despite the fact that the European Commission estimated that the nation met all requirements in 2018.