READYING KOSOVO FOR SAA NEGOTIATIONS: A blueprint of achievements, slow reforms and the path ahead Policy Analysis No. 02/2013
Publisher: Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), Kosovo Date: March 2013 Volume: 18 pages, pdf Description This Policy Analysis aims to identify and analyze Kosovo’s progress relating to the short-term benchmarks highlighted in the 2012 European Commission’s Feasibility Study for Kosovo released in early October as well as those additional benchmarks issued in the 2012 Council Conclusion on Enlargement and SAA Process which was released in early December. These benchmarks require short-term reforms and implementation in preparation for the start of SAA (Stabilization and Association Agreement) negotiations between the Commission and Kosovo’s Negotiation Team. While the purpose of this Policy Analysis is to support the completion of the short-term benchmarks that Kosovo must achieve for the Commission to win a mandate to begin SAA negotiations with Kosovo, these short-term benchmarks are only a stepping stone on Kosovo’s path towards signing an SAA with the European Union. As such, in order to ensure Kosovo’s long-term success in negotiating a Stabilization and Association Agreement, we also take into account the long-term reforms called for by the Commission and the Council and the impact that current patterns of reform, preparatory work, and implementation (resulting from efforts to achieve short-term benchmarks) may have on Kosovo’s ability to achieve the long-term benchmarks.