The Financial Times reports that the Serbian authorities have decided to postpone the initiative to simplify the procedure of acquiring citizenship by foreigners. This decision was made after a warning from the European Union about the possible abolition of the visa-free regime for Serbia.

Recall that in March of this year, the Serbian Ministry of Interior drafted a new bill: according to it, foreigners who have lived in the country on a residence permit for a year and officially worked in a Serbian company or as a self-employed person could apply for citizenship. Currently, to obtain a Serbian passport, one must have lived in the country for at least five years. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has expressed his willingness to speed up the process of granting citizenship to Ukrainians and Russians, arguing that the country does not have enough labor.

However, the European Commission has warned that if the bill is passed, visa-free travel between Serbia and the EU could be suspended.

“In the event that the granting of citizenship through schemes for investors is deemed a risk to the internal security and public policies of member states, the visa-free regime may be suspended,” the commission said in a statement. In addition, it noted that last year, Belgrade was given “clear recommendations” to “effectively abandon or refrain from introducing citizenship programs by investment.”

According to Balkan experts interviewed by the Financial Times, the Serbian government is likely to withdraw the bill under pressure from the European Union. Jelena Dzankic, Co-Director of the Italian think tank Global Citizenship Observatory, noted, “Usually when the European Commission issues a negative opinion, it becomes difficult for Serbia to insist on passing the law.”