BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU executive Commission will propose next week to allow citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to travel to the bloc without visas from the start of next year, the EU justice commissioner said yesterday.

“A proposal will be made next Tuesday in Strasbourg to liberalize visas for nationals of the Western Balkans,” Jacques Barrot told a news briefing in Brussels. “Under this proposal, the new regime comes into force on January 1.” The proposal will have to be formally approved by the EU’s 27 justice ministers, although unanimity would not be required.

Barrot said the first countries covered would be FYROM, Serbia and Montenegro, while Albania and Bosnia should follow later in 2010, provided they meet certain requirements.

EU officials say FYROM has already met EU standards for visa liberalization, which include adequate border monitoring, the introduction of biometric passports and steps against crime and corruption.

Montenegro and Serbia were expected to be able to meet all conditions by year-end.

Barrot said the Netherlands remained reluctant to offer concessions to Serbia, given Belgrade’s failure to clear up war crimes issues dating back to the Yugoslav war of the 1990s.

“Certainly the reluctance of the Netherlands on Serbia remains a important issue, but there will be strong advocates around the table, so I think we will win,” Barrot said.

“We will not punish the Serbian youth due to the poor conduct of [Slobodan] Milosevic,” he said in reference to the Serbian wartime leader who died while on trial in The Hague.

An EU official said Serbian residents in the newly independent Kosovo would still need visas and would have to obtain special passports from Belgrade. He said the new visa regime would oblige Serbians to monitor the border with Kosovo, which Belgrade still considers a part of Serbia and does not recognize as a state.

EU foreign ministers last month encouraged the European Commission to propose the visa liberalization for states of the Western Balkans. All the countries have been offered the prospect of eventual EU membership, which the European Union sees as a means of ensuring stability in the region.