The European Union and Kosovo signed today the Stabilisation and Association
Agreement (SAA). For the EU,
it was signed by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and
Commissioner Johannes Hahn, while on the side of Kosovo it was signed by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Minister for European Integration
Bekim Çollaku.
Federica Mogherini said: "This agreement is
opening a new phase in the EU-Kosovo relationship. It represents an important
contribution to stability and prosperity in Kosovo and the region at
large."
Once in force, the
SAA will help the implementation of reforms designed to achieve the adoption of
European standards by Kosovo. It focuses on respect for key democratic
principles and core elements that are at the heart of the EU's single market.
It establishes an area that allows for free trade and the application of
European standards in other areas such as competition, state aid and
intellectual property. Other provisions cover political dialogue, cooperation
in a wide variety of sectors ranging from education and employment to energy,
the environment and justice and home affairs.
The SAA was negotiated between October 2013 and May
2014, it was initialled in July 2014 and the Council of the EU agreed to its
signature on 22 October 2015. Following consent by the European Parliament, the
SAA is expected to enter into force in the first half of next year.
The EU will continue to support Kosovo's progress in
its European path through the stabilisation and association process, the policy
designed by the EU to foster cooperation with the Western Balkan countries as
well as regional cooperation. Stabilisation and Association Agreements are a
core component of this process. In order to support the necessary reforms, the
EU makes available pre-accession assistance to the Western Balkans and Turkey
amounting to some €11.7
billion over the period 2014-2020, of which €645.5 million is allocated to
Kosovo.
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