PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (Koordinaciona uprava).
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2024/2495 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (Koordinaciona uprava).
CONTENT: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council lists the third countries whose nationals are to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States and those whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Serbia was transferred to the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement. That Regulation excluded from the visa exemption holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (in Serbian: Koordinaciona uprava).
Following the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2023/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council, which transferred Kosovo from Part 2 of Annex I to Part 4 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate remain the only citizens of the Western Balkan region subject to the visa requirement.
To ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa regime, this Regulation amends Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 to exempt holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate from the requirement to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Annex II to the Regulation 2018/1806 will be amended, by including the holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (in Serbian: Koordinaciona uprava)’ within the reference to Serbia.