BRUSSELS – The Stabilisation and Association Council (SA Council) between the European Union and Kosovo held its second meeting on 17 November 2017. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, and co-chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, while Commissioner Johannes Hahn represented the European Commission. Minister Behgjet Pacolli, Minister Dhurata Hoxha and Minister Abelard Tahiri also participated.
The SA Council recalled that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is at the core of the relationship between the EU and Kosovo. It provides the contractual framework within which the EU and Kosovo will intensify their co-operation and take stock of developments in their relationship. Kosovo underlined its firm commitment to deliver swiftly on key SAA reforms, as identified in the European reform agenda, in close coordination with EU institutions, with a view of continued progress on its European path.
The SA Council reviewed recent key developments relating to the fulfilment of the political criteria, as well as the state of play concerning the economic criteria, financial cooperation and the implementation of the SAA. It noted the results of the Stabilisation and Association committee held on 5 October.
The meeting discussed reform priorities under the SAA, in areas including rule of law and judicial reforms, respect for fundamental rights, public administration reform, economic development, education and employment. The jointly agreed European reform agenda should serve as a guideline for concrete deliverables.
The meeting underlined the importance of continuous engagement in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade and of the implementation of all agreements already reached without delay. It welcomed the most recent progress made in this direction, and underlined the necessity for all agreements reached in the dialogue to be implemented without further delay.