Law enforcement in Europe

The European Commission has proposed to lift visa requirements for citizens of Kosovo for short-term travel to the EU's passport-free Schengen zone.

The proposal was made to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on together with the Commission's confirmation that Kosovo has fulfilled the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed that the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament lift visa requirements for Kosovo.

This concerns short stay in the Schengen area.

The European Commission recommended May 4 that Turkish citizens be added to the list of countries to be exempt from visas when entering the Schengen zone. 

As part of a Turkey-EU migrant deal reached to curb the flow of migrants into the bloc, the EU pledged visa-free travel for Turkish citizens by July on the stipulation that Turkey met all 72 required criteria.

Turkey is expecting a big step from the European Union on May 4 toward ending visa requirements for Turkish citizens, as a deal to get Turkey to stop migrants from entering the bloc gathers pace.

The EU's executive commission is expected to invite member states and lawmakers to vote before the end of June to lift visas on Turks for short-term leisure or business stays. 

EU countries refusing to accept refugees could face a penalty of €250,000, according to a Financial Times report. The punitive clause is one of the most controversial points included in the revised Dublin accord on asylum seekers, expected to be presented by the European Commission on Wednesday.

The European Commission will give Turks "conditional approval" to travel to the Schengen zone without visas, the BBC has reported, quoting "sources."

The British broadcaster said on its website that "the move is part of a deal in which Turkey is taking back migrants who have crossed over the Aegean Sea to Greece."

Even though Greece has improved its record considerably since first being criticized by Brussels, there are still "some deficiencies" in its border management, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said on Monday.

Germany will ask the European Commission to allow an extension of temporary border controls within the Schengen zone of passport-free travel beyond mid-May, Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said on Saturday.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden have proposed to the European Commission to extend temporary controls at the internal borders of the Schengen Area to tackle migration flows more efficiently, Die Welt reported on Saturday.

An operation by the Bulgarian authorities that led to the dismantling of an illegal workshop for counterfeiting of 100 euro banknotes has drawn praise from Europol.