The European Union will continue to support Kosovo`s progress towards Europe through the Stabilisation and Association Process, the EU`s policy to promote cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans and regional cooperation. The Stabilisation and Association Agreements are at the heart of this process. To support the necessary reforms, the EU is allocating pre-accession assistance of around €11.7 billion to the Western Balkans and Turkey for the period 2014-2020, of which €645.5 million will be allocated to Kosovo. A Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and Kosovo was signed today in Strasbourg. It will put Kosovo on a path to sustainable economic growth and can create jobs that citizens, especially young people, urgently need,” Hahn added. The SAA was negotiated between October 2013 and May 2014, initialled in July 2014 and the Council of the EU approved its signature on 22 October 2015. After approval by the European Parliament, the SAA is expected to enter into force in the first half of next year. Once in force, the SAA will establish a contractual relationship that will include reciprocal rights and obligations and cover a wide range of sectors. The SAA focuses on respecting democratic principles and key elements that are at the heart of the EU`s internal market.

The SAA will create an area for free trade and the application of European standards in other areas such as competition, state aid and intellectual property. . . .