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The news was announced through a post on Twitter, MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk, where he attached the document with the signatures of the deputies.
"Together with Violavon Cramon and other colleagues we have send a letter to Angela Merkel asking her to put in the agenda of the German presidency of the EUCouncil the long-lasting issue of visa liberalisation for Kosovo", it is said in the post.
Germany is expected to take over the leadership of the European Council on July 1.
Together with @ViolavonCramon and other colleagues we have send a letter to Angela Merkel asking her to put in the agenda of the #German presidency of the @EUCouncil the long-lasting issue of visa liberalisation for #Kosovo pic.twitter.com/HDPWssx0DR— Ilhan Kyuchyuk (@ilhankyuchyuk) June 27, 2020
The deputies say that Kosovo has met the required criteria and now it is up to the EU to fulfill its part of the obligation.
"We are losing our credibility when a third country does what we ask them to do, but they don't get the advantage we promised them. How can we demand any other reform from a state in our neighborhood when they cannot be sure that they will benefit from any of their work. European integration is not necessarily the only option for states in the region. Where will their path lead them if not to the EU?” have written these deputies.
Among them are the Rapporteur on Kosovo, German Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, the vice-president of the socialist group Tonino Piculla from Croatia, as well as MPs from all the most important groups in the European Parliament.
"We know that free movement is one of the most tangible benefits of European integration, and we believe that the citizens of Kosovo should have the opportunity to enter the Schengen area without obstacles. Not because they have any special rights, but because their state institutions have done what we have asked to them. This is your opportunity to improve the lives of citizens and bring Kosovo closer to the EU," the MPs wrote.
The European Commission and the European Parliament had confirmed that Kosovo had met all the criteria for visa liberalization. However, the issue has stalled in the EU Council, where some important countries have not agreed to liberalize visas for Kosovo.