European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday called the Kosovo government to immediately revoke the 100 percent tariffs imposed on goods from Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina, adding that Belgrade and Pristina have to implement all agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue.

RTK2 reported on Saturday that the decision on tariffs imposed by the Government of Kosovo on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in November last year was still in force.

In the meantime, many international officials have called on authorities in Pristina to revoke this decision, and recently Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, pointed out that Pristina has violated CEFTA and SAA agreements by a decision on tariffs, wrote RTK2.

Kosovo's progress report confirms its European perspective, but it also shows that there are no shortcuts on the way to the EU, said Nataliya Apostolova, Head of the EU office in Kosovo, adding a glass is half full, and that the continuation of the reforms requires a strong political will of the Assembly and Government.

The European Investors Council (EIC) has called on relevant Kosovo institutions to prioritize all the commitments they have undertaken under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and to increase the work dynamic in order to see it being more effectively implemented. “The European Investors Council will offer further co-operation in this regard, continuing to be an important partner for eliminating barriers for domestic and international businesses operating in Kosovo,” EIC said in a statement to the media.

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, said today at the meeting of the Council for implementation of government strategy on cooperation with the civil society that if Kosovo does its homework and makes quick progress on implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), it could gain EU candidate status as well as visa liberalisation. “Implementation of SAA is the matter that brings visa liberalisation. We know liberalisation is also connected to border demarcation with Montenegro.

Kosovo Assembly adopted today the national programme for implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) for the 2017-2021 period. The programme received 64 votes in favour and none against. Chairman of today’s  Assembly session, Xhavit Haliti, said it was important to approve the programme ahead of the meeting of the SAA commission scheduled for Thursday.

According to a study carried out by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLSP), Kosovo government fulfilled only 26 percent of the criteria set out by the EU’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) although the deal entered into force on 1 April 2016. Kosovo’s Deputy Minister for European Integration, Anila Statovci, said it was difficult to report on concrete steps Kosovo institutions have taken in implementing SAA but she did mention steps in adoption of internal market standards, competition policies as well as aspects relating to the rule of law and good governance.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, leads today in Brussels with the delegation of Kosovo at the first meeting between the Council of Stabilization Association Agreement and Kosovo.

Kosovo’s delegation led by PM Isa Mustafa, is represented by ministers Enver Hoxhaj, Abdullah Hoti, Skënder Hyseni, Hykmete Bajrami and deputy minister Anila Statovci.

In today’s routine meeting, the government of Kosovo reviewed European integration agenda. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci spoke about implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the criteria Kosovo has to meet in its path to joining the EU while Prime Minister Isa Mustafa underlined the importance of the reforms agenda and noted that implementation of SAA precedes Kosovo’s EU accession.

People of Kosovo are very little informed about the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and they are largely unhappy with the political and economic situation, indicates a poll carried out by two Kosovo-based think tanks, the Pristina Institute for Political Studies and the Group for Political and Legal Studies.  Leonora Kryeziu from the Pristina Institute for Political Studies said the SAA requires Kosovo institutions to undertake a series of reforms for which the people have no knowledge of.