Kosovo and the European Union held their seventh Stabilisation and Association Committee meeting in Pristina on Tuesday to review political developments and progress on reforms linked to Kosovo’s EU-related commitments.
The meeting was opened by Kosovo’s Chief Negotiator with the EU, Jeton Zulfaj, and Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced.
It was co-chaired by Arben Krasniqi, General Secretary at Kosovo’s Office of the Prime Minister, and Jiri Plecity, head of the DG ENEST unit responsible for Kosovo.
Officials reviewed the “state of play” on political and economic criteria, Kosovo’s alignment with EU rules and standards — known as the EU "acquis" — and implementation of obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
Discussions also covered reform priorities across a range of areas, based on sectoral sub-committee and special group meetings held under the latest cycle of the Stabilisation and Association Dialogue.
Reforms and EU support
The EU said progress had been made in several areas, but it stressed the need for fully functioning institutions to speed up reforms, according to the EEAS statement.
It welcomed developments related to competitiveness and inclusive growth, including social policy and employment, digital transformation, taxation, economic and monetary policy, education and culture, and customs.
The EU also cited recent progress on democracy and the rule of law, but said reforms still needed to be accelerated in public administration, freedom of expression, rule of law, protection of fundamental rights, and the rights of people from non-majority communities.
Kosovo’s government said it remained committed to implementing obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to using opportunities under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the EU Office — EU Special Representative in Kosovo said.
Both sides agreed to continue engagement on Kosovo’s reform process and European aspirations.
The EU noted it had invested more than €3.7 billion in Kosovo since 1999 and described itself as the country’s largest provider of financial assistance.
