Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-10-06-Speech-3-169"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2010-10-06"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of Member States (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20101006.14.3-169"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2010-10-06-Speech-3-1702
lpv:speaker	lp:Charles Tannock2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, visa liberalisation is an important step for any country seeking a closer relationship with the European Union. Making it easier for bona fide citizens of third countries to visit the EU, for business and tourism, is an important part of integrating these countries with our own Union. The positive experience of extending visa liberalisation to Montenegro – for which I had the privilege of being the rapporteur of this Parliament – to Serbia, and to Macedonia, has given extra momentum to these countries’ aspirations for EU membership. However, we must eventually give all countries in the western Balkans an equal opportunity to achieve this status if they qualify for it. After all, this is nothing more than what they used to enjoy in the days of the former Yugoslavia. Extending visa liberalisation now to Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina is therefore a natural progression of a long-standing strategic policy which I welcome on behalf of my group. But we should be insistent on all of these countries reaching and maintaining high standards of passport biometric security. Visa liberalisation is a privilege and not an automatic right which can be taken for granted. As for Kosovo, concerns still remain about the quality of passport security and organised crime. Until these questions are fully answered, Kosovo must necessarily remain outside the scope of our policies. But I, for one, am not opposed in principle to Kosovo eventually achieving visa liberalisation. Even though five EU countries do not recognise it, this alone should not be a reason not to grant Kosovo as a territory the right to freedom of travel to the European Union. No EU Member State recognises Taiwan, a territory for which I happen to be the President of the Friendship Group of this Parliament, but nevertheless, our Union is shortly expected – and rightly so – to grant visa-free privileges to Taiwanese nationals. So Kosovo, a bit like Taiwan, should enjoy the same privileges eventually when the time is right."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2009-09-16--2014-06-30)3 member; AFET (2009-07-16--2012-01-18)3 substitute; SEDE (2009-09-28--2012-01-18)3 member; DROI (2009-07-16--2012-01-18)3 vice-chair; Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2009-09-29--2014-06-30)3 substitute; Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (2009-09-16--2014-06-30)3 member; PECH (2009-07-14--2014-06-30)3 member; Delegation for relations with India (2009-09-16--2012-03-27)3 unknown; Conservative Party (2009-07-14--2014-06-30)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Charles Tannock,"1 "on behalf of the ECR Group."1
lpv:videoURI	<go to Events_and_structure europarl>2

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