BELGRADE, Serbia

The Council of the European Union Monday adopted a regulation removing the exclusion previously applied to holders of Serbian passports in Kosovo issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.

The regulation takes effect after it is published in the EU Official Journal.

Ethnic Serbs with passports issued by Serbia's Directorate for Kosovo can now cross the external borders of EU member states without a visa.

The Serbian foreign minister in a statement on X welcomed the decision, describing it as a small but significant victory for Serb human rights in Kosovo.

However, Kosovo's government objected to the council's decision, arguing that recognizing documents issued by Serbian-run "parallel" institutions would violate Kosovo's sovereignty and discourage Serbian community integration.

About 18,000 Serbian residents of Kosovo who hold these passports can travel visa-free to the European Union.

This move ensures that all Western Balkan residents are subject to the same visa regime.

Serbian citizens with biometric passports have been exempted from visa requirements since 2009. However, the regime did not apply to passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate for Kosovo in Belgrade. The EU Commission proposed the change in 2023.

Meanwhile, Kosovo citizens have been able to travel visa-free through the passport-free Schengen zone since January 2024, but this does not apply to those whose passports are issued by Serbia's directorate for Kosovo.