EU to propose dropping visas for Balkan states

* EU executive to propose dropping visas for three states

* Macedonia meets standards; Serbia, Montenegro close

(adds Dutch spokesman)

BRUSSELS, July 9 (Reuters) - The EU executive will propose next week to allow citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia to travel to the bloc without visas from the start of next year, the EU justice commissioner said on Thursday.

"A proposal will be made next Tuesday in Strasbourg to liberalise 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 Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, while Albania and Bosnia should follow later in 2010, provided they meet certain requirements.

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

Montenegro and Serbia were expected to be able to meet all conditions by the 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 poor conduct of (Slobodan) Milosevic," he said in reference to the Serbian wartime leader who died while on trial in the Hague.

Dutch foreign ministry spokesman said that while the Netherlands opposed ratification of an agreement that would allow Serbia to progress towards the EU until Belgrade cooperates fully with the Hague war crimes tribunal, it was not opposed to visa liberalisation.

"The Netherlands is in favour of visa liberalisation as soon as Serbia meets necessary criteria. There is no such thing as Dutch reluctance on this issue," Bart Rijs said.

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 recognise as a state.

EU foreign ministers last month encouraged the European Commission to propose the visa liberalisation 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.

Citizens of the former Yugoslavia used to be able to travel without visas to Western Europe until wars that followed Yugoslavia's break-up in the 1990s.

Of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, only Slovenia is so far an EU member, but its neighbour Croatia has already secured a visa-free regime. (Reporting by Julien Toyer: writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Matthew Jones)