Kosovo Signs SAA with EU

A Kosovar checks his mobile phone as he walks past EU Information and Cultural Office in Kosovo's capital Pristina Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2015. Kosovo signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU that will help the economic growth of one of Eur

Kosovo’s hopes of joining the European Union received a boost on Tuesday with the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the 28-nation bloc.

"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," the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said.

The SAA, seen as the first step towards membership, was signed in Strasbourg by Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn for the EU. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Minister of European Integration Bekim Collaku signed for Kosovo.

Johannes Hahn said the agreement was a milestone for the EU-Kosovo relationship.

“It will help Kosovo make much needed reforms and will create trade and investment opportunities. It will put Kosovo on the path of a sustainable economic growth," Hahn said.

The SAA will establish an area that allows for free trade and the application of European standards in other areas such as competition, state aid and intellectual property, the European Commission said in a news release. It will also help the implementation of reforms designed to achieve the adoption of European standards by Kosovo.

The EU has allocated EUR 645.5 in pre-accession assistance to Kosovo to support the necessary reforms over the period 2014-2020.

 

 

 

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