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What after SAA between EU and Kosovo (Koha Ditore)

By   /  27/04/2015  /  No Comments

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Augustin Palokaj, the paper’s Brussels correspondent, writes that as the European Commission prepares to approve the text of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Kosovo, there are many issues that needs to be explained so that neither Kosovo nor the EU spend too much energy on exaggerating the agreement’s benefits. While Kosovo will be able to benefit quite a lot from the agreement, particularly in the area of foreign investment, the SAA, in its legal form, will not be the same for Kosovo as was for other countries in the region which already signed it, writes Palokaj. He adds that the SAA does not treat Kosovo as an independent country and, as a result, does not carry any formal political commitments for Kosovo’s European perspective. SAA is viewed as the first official step to EU accession but if this is truly the case, what would be Kosovo’s next step after signing it, asks Palokaj. Normally, after signing the SAA, a country would be able to apply for an EU candidate status but this is impossible for Kosovo as there are five EU members that have not yet recognised its independence. “In this case, the EU cannot invent a magic formula because in the enlargement process, member states decide unanimously.” It seems therefore that under the current circumstances SAA is Kosovo’s final step in the EU integration process, concludes Palokaj.

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