Fifty Serbian citizens leave on first visa-free EU visit

(BELGRADE) - A group of 50 Serbian nationals left for a first visa-free visit to several European Union countries in a trip sponsored by the Serbian government to symbolically mark the abolition of travel restrictions on the citizens of this Balkan republic after more than 18 years.

The plane carrying the travellers, selected through the "Europe for everyone" competition and who have not had the opportunity to visit the European Union before, left Belgrade for Brussels shortly after midnight (2300 GMT) Saturday, airport services told AFP by phone.

Beside Brussels, the passengers, proposed by their friends and relatives for their humanitarian or rescuing actions, will also visit Rome, Berlin and Paris, spending two days in each of the European capitals.

"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.

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.

In Brussels, the group would meet with European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, and a number of other officials.

On November 30, the EU decided that nationals of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia would be able to travel without visa to its member states, except Britain and Ireland, from December 19.

In the Macedonian capital, Skopje, several thousand people gathered at the main square to celebrate the abolition of visas. The Macedonian government is also planning to organize a symbolic trip for its citizens.

In Montenegro, the authorities announced a celebratory visit by 100 citizens to Rome for Sunday.