You're reading: Albanians, Bosnians get visa-free travel to European Union

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union decided unanimously Monday to end visa requirements for Bosnian and Albanian residents by Christmas but warned the measure could be scrapped if it is abused for bogus asylum claims and illegal work.

The approval by EU interior ministers came despite fears that it could create an influx of illegal immigrants.

If such problems arise, the EU can "take all the necessary measures, all the way up to suspending the visa liberalization mechanism," said Belgian Migration State Secretary Melchior Wathelet, who chaired the meeting.

Last year, the EU abolished visas for the citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, and several member states complained of a sudden rise in illegal migration and unfounded claims for asylum from the impoverished nations to the wealthy EU nations.

"We do not want to repeat this story for Albania and Bosnia," Wathelet said.

When the EU scrapped its visa requirements for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia last year it was seen as a significant milestone in those nations’ efforts for closer ties with the rest of Europe.

Despite the warning that the measure could be repealed, it was heartily welcomed in Tirana and Sarajevo.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha called it "the best message Europe sends to Albania."

"Such a decision is the best postcard Albanian citizens get for the festivities of the end of the year," Berisha said at a news conference. "Such a decision is also a good omen for the Albanian economy."

In Sarajevo, President Haris Silajdzic, part of Bosnia’s three-member presidency, said that "people here will learn a lot about European standards, which will eventually then lead the country into the EU."

Ostoja Babic, a Bosnian Serb seasonal worker in Austria, called it "great news."

"For us who work in the EU occasionally, it is important that we can bring our families there to see something different," he said. "It was so hard to get even tourist visas."

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini welcomed the decision, saying it represents "the right reward for the commitment and determination displayed by these countries."

On Friday, EU officials will travel to the two capitals to explain the limits of visa-free travel and ways to contain abuse.

Berisha assured the EU member countries of his government’s full readiness to closely cooperate "so that this major act does not create the smallest problem."

In Bosnia, the visa requirement was long seen as a heavy burden almost symbolic of the country’s isolation.

On Monday in Sarajevo, it appeared that the usual lines in front of embassies queuing for visas had moved to the Interior Ministry’s department for passports, where people apply for the biometric passports required for visa-free travel.

Dusan Popovic, the head of the passport department, told the AP that the previous 100 passport requests a day has now risen to 350.

Monday’s approval leaves Kosovo, a country not recognized by all EU members, as the last Balkan region without visa-free travel to the EU.