BAKGRUNN (fra europaparlaments- og rådsforordningen)

(1) Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) lists the third countries whose nationals are to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States (the ‘visa requirement’) and those whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period (the ‘visa exemption’).

(2) By means of Council Regulation (EC) No 1244/2009 (3), 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).

(3) Following the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2023/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), which transferred Kosovo (*1) 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.

(4) In order to ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa regime, holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate should be included in the reference to Serbia in Part 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806.

(5) As regards Iceland and Norway, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the latters’ association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (5) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point B, of Council Decision 1999/437/EC (6).

(6) As regards Switzerland, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (7) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, points B and C, of Decision 1999/437/EC, read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/146/EC (8).

(7) As regards Liechtenstein, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (9) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, points B and C, of Decision 1999/437/EC, read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision 2011/350/EU (10).

(8) This Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC (11); Ireland is therefore not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(9) As regards Cyprus, this Regulation constitutes an act building upon, or otherwise relating to, the Schengen acquis within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the 2003 Act of Accession,