Kosovan President Thaci strongly condemns EU's lack of vision for the Balkans

Pristina, 1 March 2017 (MIA) - Kosovan President Hashim Thaci blamed the European Union of lacking a vision on the future of the Balkans, and called it to immediately approve visa free travel for the citizens of Kosovo.
"This is the last chance for Brussels to make a positive decision for our country. Unfortunately, there is no vision in the European Union for the future of the Western Balkan countries. Leaving a vacuum in the region creates conditions for anti-European ideologies to develop", President Thaci said.
Kosovo is the last Balkan country that still doesn't have a visa free travel regime, largely due to negative sentiments following the 2015 - 2016 migrant crisis, and an earlier massive push by Kosovans to claim asylum in European Union countries. The EU is also using this option as leverage to pressure Kosovo to ratify a border demarcation treaty with Montenegro, which is important to bring Montenegro into NATO.
"I see no vision or preparations for Plan B in the Balkans. We can have negative consequences for the entire region. The worsening of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is a result of the unjustified delays in the process of Balkan integration, an dthat is the fault of the European Union", Thaci said, adding that the EU has changed and is not the institution it was before Brexit.