Serbian, Montenegrin and Macedonian nationals can travel visa-free inside the EU's borderless Schengen zone from Saturday. A group of 50 Serbian nationals left Belgrade after midnight for their first visa-free visit to several European Union countries. The visit, organized by the Serbian authorities and supported by the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement as well as by the embassies of France, Italy and Germany, symbolically marks the abolition of visas for Serbian citizens to travel to the EU. "These are ordinary people who have done something extraordinary and have so far never seen Europe," Bozidar Djelic, Serbia's deputy prime minister in charge of European integrations, told a press conference prior to the trip. Travel restrictions were lifted following a November 30 decision by the EU that nationals of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia would be able to travel without visa to all its member states, except Britain and Ireland.
A group of 50 Serbian nationals left Belgrade after midnight for their first visa-free visit to several European Union countries.
The visit, organized by the Serbian authorities and supported by the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement as well as by the embassies of France, Italy and Germany, symbolically marks the abolition of visas for Serbian citizens to travel to the EU.
"These are ordinary people who have done something extraordinary and have so far never seen Europe," Bozidar Djelic, Serbia's deputy prime minister in charge of European integrations, told a press conference prior to the trip.
Travel restrictions were lifted following a November 30 decision by the EU that nationals of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia would be able to travel without visa to all its member states, except Britain and Ireland.
Turkey says it wants the European Union to drop visa restrictions on its citizens seeking to travel to the bloc after restrictions for three other non-EU countries were lifted Saturday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the country deserves to have visa restrictions against it dropped by the EU after Serbian, Montenegrin and Macedonian citizens were granted visa-free travel rights to the Schengen area. Davutoglu said the visa waiver should be granted despite little progress being made with Brussels on Ankara's EU membership aspirations. "It's unacceptable that certain Balkan countries that are in the initial stages of the membership process and have not begun negotiations have been given the Schengen privilege, while Turkey, considering the level that Turkish-EU relations have reached, has not," Davutoglu said at a news conference. "We will follow this closely from now on," he said, according to the state-run Anatolian news agency.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the country deserves to have visa restrictions against it dropped by the EU after Serbian, Montenegrin and Macedonian citizens were granted visa-free travel rights to the Schengen area.
Davutoglu said the visa waiver should be granted despite little progress being made with Brussels on Ankara's EU membership aspirations.
"It's unacceptable that certain Balkan countries that are in the initial stages of the membership process and have not begun negotiations have been given the Schengen privilege, while Turkey, considering the level that Turkish-EU relations have reached, has not," Davutoglu said at a news conference.
"We will follow this closely from now on," he said, according to the state-run Anatolian news agency.
Turkey are within their rights. keep to the Fen Causeway
I see no difficulty in allowing the Turkish people to enter without a visa. It's right to work/of residence that's the issue and here the EU systems are demonstrably incapable of checking this. keep to the Fen Causeway
