December 27, 2024 | Friday
The European Union Council’s decision to lift the visa regime for Kosovo, allowing Kosovo people to freely enter the Schengen area for short-term stays was a moment we had all been waiting for and that called for a celebration. The #ExploreEurope Campaign was launched in October 2023 as a silent campaign, paving the path for a public campaign that reached its peak in November and December 2023 with many activities, ranging from TV commercials to outreach events all over Kosovo and extended throughout 2024 with several activities leading up to Europe Day 2024.
We created creative content in the spirit of celebrating this milestone and informing the Kosovo people not only about the beauty of travelling but also about the opportunities that this moment presents for them. The EU Member States and the Kosovo Government were a crucial part of this campaign, in order for the people of Kosovo to have country-specific information and general information about the rights and limitations of travelling for short-term stays within the Schengen area. We joined forces with the government-led #VisaFree campaign in order to make this momentum as beneficial as possible for the people of Kosovo.
Social media content paved way to outreach and conversations, quizzes and educational activities with people in Pristina, Prizren, Gjilan / Gnjilane, Podujevë / Podujevo, Mitrovica South, Peje / Peć, Ferizaj / Uroševac, Gračanica / Graçanicë, Štrpce / Shtërpcë. In close collaboration with EU Member States, we organised Greek, German, Italian and French language crash courses in Europe Houses in Pristina and Mitrovica North, intended for anyone willing to learn basic phrases in the languages of these European countries.
The video-selfies we created in collaboration with EU Member states of influencers and public figures of various profiles from the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Finland and The Netherlands showed Kosovo people in a truly warm manner how welcome they are to visit the Schengen area for short-term stays.
A concert at the heart of Pristina with renowned local artists; an exhibition showing photographic travel diaries in Europe House Mitrovica North as well as a big event presenting the students of the University of Pristina with the opportunities that visa liberalisation presents for them were also part of this campaign. There were also fun games and lucky winners of travel tickets to Vienna.
The #ExploreEurope Campaign was a rewarding experience, a moment of joy and reflection about the importance of freedom of travel and cultural exchange between people, as well as a reconfirmation of the positive EU-Kosovo relationship.