The Free Movement in the Balkans Continues to Exclude Kosovo and Bosnia

The restriction on the free movement of Kosovo citizens to Bosnia and Herzegovina continues, despite the signing of agreements for mutual recognition of identification cards, diplomas, and other documents on November 3, 2022, as part of the Berlin Process. The Kosovo Assembly ratified the Agreement on Free Movement with identification cards in the Western Balkans, but Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet done so.

Despite the agreement on freedom of movement between the two countries, which stems from the Berlin Process, neither Kosovars nor Bosnians can travel freely between Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is due to the lack of support for the identification card agreement from all entities within the Bosnian presidency.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Emilija Rexhepi, told Radio Kosovo that while the Serbian ethnicity, led by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, violates the agreement, she remains in constant contact with Bosniak politicians in the government and deputies from various political parties who are willing to vote for and ratify the agreement in the Bosnian Parliament and recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

“Our lobbying with Bosnian representatives and the Speaker of the Bosnian Parliament continues. We have the support of Bosniak and Croatian representatives and hope that the Serbs will understand that this agreement needs to be ratified. This is despite their claims of being stability and reconciliation factors in international discussions, while blocking processes once they return to Bosnia,” said Rexhepi.

It remains uncertain when this agreement will be on the agenda of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, Rexhepi says that according to her discussions with Bosnian authorities, the process first needs to go through the Government and then be voted on by the deputies in the Bosnian Parliament.

“We are continuously pressuring the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Minister Konaković has promised to put the agreement on the agenda. We are also pressuring Bosniak representatives in Parliament, and we have asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to exert pressure on the representatives of Republika Srpska to soften their stance on this issue,” said Rexhepi.

The failure to ratify the agreement and the visa regime has hindered the travel of Bosnian citizens living in Kosovo but originally from Bosnia. Rasim Demiri, head of the “Vakat” Coalition, told Radio Kosovo that he has had his visa applications for travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina refused twice.

“Believe me, I personally consider myself a victim of the visa regime because I have tried twice to get a visa, and it has been refused by the Bosnian authorities. It is a very complicated process because many documents are required. The last time I was in Bosnia was in 2015-16, and even then, not as a Bosniak representative or as Rasim Demiri, but as part of a parliamentary visit where visas were issued in Brussels,” he said.

Bosniak MP Sabina Cudić previously told Radio Kosovo that “Bosnia and Herzegovina has a complex leadership, and thus Republika Srpska rejects even the most moderate measures, such as the recognition of travel documents as a fundamental right to freedom of movement.”

“Unfortunately, I would be lying if I said there have been significant changes in Bosnia’s foreign policy towards Kosovo. However, we are trying to ensure that through the Berlin Process, students and citizens of our countries can move freely. I am personally a witness, as members of my family who are Kosovars cannot move freely. What I hope for is that the first step will be the normalization of relations between our countries. I ask for more patience and understanding from Kosovars to understand that our foreign policy is delicate, as it involves coordination with Republika Srpska and other mechanisms within the political spectrum that make up the government. In this context, unfortunately, we will not see progress,” said Cudić.

The freedom of movement for Kosovars in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be blocked by Serbian politicians in Bosnia. When the agreement was signed, the Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina was Zoran Tegeltija, a member of Milorad Dodik’s party (SNSD). Bosnia and Herzegovina does not recognize Kosovo’s independence; therefore, citizens of both states must obtain an entry visa to travel to each other’s countries.