Accession of Kosovo to the European Union

Accession of Kosovo to the European Union
Status	Stabilisation and Association
Application Screened & negotiations commence
Negotiations Chapters closed
Memberships & Treaties Association Agreement Economic and monetary policy Travel Energy Foreign and military policy Human rights and international courts International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Impact (27+1) Population 446,828,803 Area 4,233,262 km2 1,634,472 mi2 HDI 0.896 GDP (PPP) $25.399 trillion GDP per capita (PPP) $56,928 GDP $17.818 trillion GDP per capita $39,940 Gini 30.0 Official Languages 24

Accession of Kosovo to the European Union (EU) is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the EU and Kosovo is recognized by the EU as a potential candidate for accession. Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was enacted on 17 February 2008 by a vote of members of the Assembly of Kosovo. Independence has not been recognised by Serbia, or five out of 28 EU member states, and as a result the European Union itself refers only to "Kosovo*", with an asterisked footnote containing the text agreed to by the Belgrade–Pristina negotiations: "This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence." This has not prevented Kosovo from continuing its EU enacted Stabilisation Tracking Mechanism (STM) programme, aiming to gradually integrate its national policies on legal, economic and social matters with EU, so that at some point in the future they could qualify for EU membership.

To ensure stability at the territory and neutral rule of law enforcement, the EU is operating in Kosovo under the umbrella of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), deploying police and civilian resources under the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX).

The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Kosovo was signed on 26 February 2016 and went into force on 1 April 2016.

On 6 February 2018, the European Commission published its expansion plan to cover up to six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. The plan envisages that all six applicants could achieve accession as members of the European Union after 2025.

Recognition

A map of EU member states and their stance on recognising Kosovo's independence
Key:

  Kosovo

  recognises Kosovo

  does not recognise Kosovo

Further information: International recognition of Kosovo

As of July 2013, 23 of the 28 member states recognise the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state. The EU states that do not recognise Kosovo's independence are Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece. As a result, European Union itself refers only to "Kosovo*", with an asterisked footnote containing the text agreed to by the Belgrade–Pristina negotiations: "This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence."

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 8 July 2010 calling on all member states to recognise Kosovo. In October 2010, an envoy of the European Parliament suggested that lack of recognition by some countries would not be an obstacle to Kosovo joining the Schengen area's visa-free regime.

EU presence

Further information: European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and International Civilian Representative for Kosovo

The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which introduced the international rule of Kosovo in 1999. However, the EU force, which was previously planned to be covered by Security council's approval of Ahtisaari proposal, has not received a new UN Security Council mandate due to the opposition from Russia. Russia specifically blocked transfer of UN facility to the EU mission. Serbia also views the mission as an EU recognition of an independent Kosovo.

A 1,800 to 1,900 strong mission was approved by The European Council on 14 December 2007. This was later increased to 2,000 personnel due to an increase in expected instability due to a lack of an agreement with Serbia. It consists of police officers (including four anti-riot units), prosecutors and judges – hence focusing on issues on the rule of law, including democratic standards. The size of the mission means Kosovo is home to the largest number of EU civil servants outside of Brussels. Chief of the mission is French General Xavier Bout de Marnhac, who replaced Yves de Kermabon on 15 October 2010. He is accountable to the European Union member states.

The EU also appoints the International Civilian Representative for Kosovo (also the European Union Special Representative). The level of EU influence in Kosovo has led some to term it an EU protectorate.

On 25 August 2009, the EULEX mission was subject to violent protests, resulting in the damaging of 28 EU vehicles Three Kosovo police officers were injured in the clashes which resulted in 21 arrests by the Kosovo police. The attack was organised by a group called "Vetëvendosje!" ("Self-Determination") in reaction to EULEX's police cooperation with Serbia and its actions in Kosovo. There is resentment towards the EU mission for exercising its powers over Kosovo while mediating between the state and Serbia. Policies concentrating on crisis management, rather than resolution, as well as the pursuit of ethnic autonomy and its overly broad mandate over Kosovo's governance is at the stem of the discontent with the EU mission.

Stabilisation Tracking Mechanism

A Stabilisation Tracking Mechanism (STM), established for Kosovo on 6 November 2002, is an association process specially devised to promote policy dialogue between the EU and the Kosovan authorities on EU approximation matters, since it was not able to commence with the Stabilisation and Association Process due to its disputed status. In addition, in March 2007, a new structure of sectoral meetings under the umbrella of the STM was established in the areas of: good governance, economy, internal market, innovation and infrastructure.

Potential candidacy

The EU is divided on their policy towards Kosovo, with 5 of 28 EU member states (Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain) not recognising its sovereignty. Kosovo is officially considered a potential candidate for membership by the European Union, and it has been given a clear "European perspective" by the Council of the European Union. As confirmed by the Thessaloniki Summit in June 2003, Kosovo is firmly anchored in the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP), the EU policy which applies to the Western Balkans which is designed to prepare potential candidates for membership.

On 20 April 2005 the European Commission adopted the Communication on Kosovo to the Council "A European Future for Kosovo" which reinforced the Commission’s commitment to Kosovo. On 20 January 2006, the Council adopted a European Partnership for Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo as defined by UNSCR1244. The European Partnership is a means to materialise the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries within the framework of the SAP. The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) adopted an Action Plan for the Implementation of the European Partnership in August 2006 and this document formed the current working basis between the EU and the PISG. The PISG regularly reported on the implementation of this action plan.

The Republic of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was enacted on 17 February 2008 by a vote of members of the Assembly of Kosovo. The fact that the declaration was not recognised by Serbia and several EU member states did not prevent Kosovo from continuing its STM programme, which aimed to gradually integrate its national policies on legal, economic and social matters with EU so that at some point in the future they would qualify for EU membership. As of December 2008, fifteen meetings of the STM have taken place. In addition, in March 2007 a new structure of sectoral meetings under the umbrella of the STM was established in the areas of: good governance, economy, internal market, innovation and infrastructure.

In October 2009, the European Commission noted in its annual report on the progress of the candidates and potential candidates for EU accession that Kosovo faced major challenges including ensuring the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the strengthening of administrative capacity, and the protection of the Serb and other minorities.

Negotiations for EU membership would only start after Kosovo submits an application and is made an official candidate for membership. Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, has suggested that the EU should enlarge to Serbia and Kosovo simultaneously due to concerns that if Serbia was admitted first they could veto Kosovo's membership.

In May 2014, Hoxhaj said that Kosovo's goal was for EU membership within a decade.

In May 2018, Bulgaria - holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union - hosted a summit on the Western Balkans, which aimed to facilitate accession by the six, including enhanced regional security cooperation and regional connectivity. It was noteworthy that the Summit referred to 'partners' rather than states: this reflects the issue that Kosovo is only partially recognised as a state. The European Commission is sensitive to the issue which was addressed in a speech by the EU's High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini at the European Parliament Plenary Session on the Western Balkan Strategy: " shared, unequivocal, concrete perspective for European Union integration for each and every one of the six partners. Each at its own pace, with its own specificities and under different conditions, but the direction is clear and is one ".

Stabilisation and Association Agreement

Prior to applying for full membership in the EU, Kosovo sought to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, which according to the European Parliament "defines rights and obligations of both parties until the EU membership." A feasibility study on the prospects for a SAA with Kosovo was launched by the European Commission in March 2012. On 10 October 2012 the results were published. It found that there were no legal obstacles to this, as full sovereignty is not required for such an agreement, and recommended that negotiations start as soon as Kosovo had made further progress in the four areas: "Rule of law, Public administration, Protection of minorities, and Trade". On 15 October 2012 the Prime Minister of Kosovo, together with the Ministerial Council on European Integration, agreed on the following to-do list to fulfill "the technical criteria for the start of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement":

1. "Police, prosecutors and judges shall demonstrate a clear commitment to achieve concrete results in the fight against organised crime and corruption."
2. "The Ministry of Justice shall continue its coordination and close cooperation with EULEX and the Special Investigative Task Force."
3. "The Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Prosecutorial and Judicial Council of Kosovo must ensure that during the implementation of the new court structure, the competences of Special Prosecutors for cases of organised crime, war crimes and corruption, remain unchanged."
4. "The Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Kosovo Assembly, must work to approve as soon as possible the Law on the Confiscation of Assets."
5. "The Ministry of Finance must review the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in order to ensure its alignment with European Union legislation and the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force."
6. "The Anti-Corruption Agency shall approve a Strategy for the fight against Corruption in the Government and Parliament."
7. "The Ministry of Public Administration shall finalise necessary secondary legislation on Laws on the Civil Service and Wages."
8. "The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Administration shall work closely with the Ombudsperson Institution in order to clarify budgetary issues and space for the work of the Ombudsperson."
9. "The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport shall coordinate the establishment of a body that facilitates direct consultation with religious communities for the promotion and protection of cultural and religious heritage, especially with the Serbian Orthodox Church."
10. "The Ministry of Trade and Industry shall continue finalising the restructuring of the ministry and making functional coordinating structures for trade negotiations between Kosovo and the EU."
11. "The Ministry of Trade and Industry shall conclude the analysis of the impact of trade aspects, in the scenario if Kosovo signs a Stabilisation and Association Agreement."

Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement, said that a progress report on the opening of SAA negotiations would be published by the EC in the spring of 2013.

On 19 April 2013, the governments of Kosovo and Serbia completed an agreement that was hailed as a major step towards normalising relations, and would allow both Serbia and Kosovo to advance in European integration. The agreement is reported to commit both states not to "block, or encourage others to block, the other side's progress in the respective EU paths." Though it does not amount to a recognition of Kosovo's independence by Belgrade, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton was quoted as saying, "What we are seeing is a step away from the past and, for both of them, a step closer to Europe", whilst Thaçi declared "This agreement will help us heal the wounds of the past if we have the wisdom and the knowledge to implement it in practice." The accord was ratified by the Kosovo assembly on 28 June 2013.

Several days after the agreement was reached, the European Commission recommended authorising the launch of negotiations on a SAA between the EU and Kosovo, as well as starting EU membership negotiations with Serbia. On 28 June 2013 the European Council endorsed the Council of the European Union's conclusions on negotiations with both Kosovo and Serbia.

In July 2013, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle stated that SAA negotiations with Kosovo would start after the summer. Negotiations were formally launched on 28 October, and were completed on 2 May 2014. The agreement was initialled on 25 July 2014. Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed hope that the SAA could be signed by the end of the year, though Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, had said in June 2014 that the treaty could be signed by the following spring if progress is made by authorities in Kosovo in enacting reforms and normalising relations with Serbia. In December 2014, Kosovo's Minister of European Integration, Bekim Çollaku, said that "we're expecting this to happen in the first half of 2015". Johannes Hahn, the new Commissioner for Enlargement, said in February 2015 that he planned to propose in April that the agreement be signed.

Ultimately, the treaty was signed on 27 October 2015. It was the first SAA signed after the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, which conferred legal personality to the EU. As a result, an EU representative in Kosovo explained that "unlike SAA with other countries of the region, this one will be exclusively the EU agreement. The EU will co-sign it as a legal entity." The agreement did not need to be individually ratified by each member state. The representative went on to say that "since Kosovo is not recognised by the five member states, we had to issue a directive saying that the signing of the agreement will not signify that the EU or any of the countries recognise Kosovo as a state." The SAA entered into force on 1 April 2016.

Kosovo SAA Negotiating Team

On 27 February 2013, the Government of Kosovo appointed the Kosovo SAA Negotiating Team, composed of key ministers, including the representatives of the President's Office and the Parliament.

• Vlora Çitaku, Minister of European Integration was appointed the Chief Negotiator.

Members of the Negotiating Team were:

• Enver Hoxhaj, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mimoza Kusari-Lila, Minister of Trade and Industry
• Blerand Stavileci, Minister of Agriculture
• Besim Beqaj, Minister of Finance
• Fadil Ismajli, Minister of Economic Development
• Hajredin Kuqi, Minister of Justice
• Adrian Prenkaj, Adviser to the President of Kosovo
• Lutfi Haziri, Head of Parliamentary Committee for European Integration.

Key Dates

• 27 March 2012 – Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement, together with President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga launch the Feasibility Study for SAA in Prishtina.
• 10 October 2012 – European Commission issues its feasibility study for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Kosovo.
• 28 October 2013 – First round of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) launched in Pristina.
• 2 May 2014 – Negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and Kosovo successfully completed in Prishtina.
• 25 July 2014 – The EU and Kosovo chief negotiators initialled the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Kosovo in Brussels.
• 27 October 2015 – The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and Kosovo was signed in Strasbourg.
• 2 November 2015 – The Draft law on Ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Kosovo and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community was approved by the Kosovo Assembly with 86 votes in favour and none against.
• 21 January 2016 – The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and Kosovo was approved by the European Parliament.

State of Stabilisation and Association Agreement ratification

Status of SAA ratification

Event	North Macedonia	Croatia	Albania	Montenegro	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serbia	Kosovo
SAA negotiations start	2000-04-05	2000-11-24	2003-01-31	2005-10-10	2005-11-25	2005-10-10	2013-10-28
SAA initialled	2000-11-24	2001-05-14	2006-02-28	2007-03-15	2007-12-04	2007-11-07	2014-07-25
SAA/IA signature	2001-04-09	2001-10-29	2006-06-12	2007-10-15	2008-06-16	2008-04-29	2015-10-27
Interim Agreement:
EC ratification	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-06-12	2007-10-15	2008-06-16	2009-12-08	N/A
SAP state ratification	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-10-09	2007-11-14	2008-06-20	2008-09-22	N/A
entry into force	2001-06-01	2002-03-01	2006-12-01	2008-01-01	2008-07-01	2010-02-01	N/A
Deposit of the instrument of ratification:
SAP state	2001-04-27	2002-01-30	2006-11-09	2007-11-13	2009-02-26	2008-09-22	2016-02-26
Austria	2002-09-06	2002-03-15	2008-05-21	2008-07-04	2009-09-04	2011-01-13	N/A
Belgium	2003-12-29	2003-12-17	2008-10-22	2010-03-29	2010-03-29	2012-03-20	N/A
Bulgaria	joined the EU later			2008-05-30	2009-03-13	2010-08-12	N/A
Croatia	joined the EU later						N/A
Cyprus	joined the EU later		2008-05-30	2008-11-20	2009-07-02	2010-11-26	N/A
Czech Republic	joined the EU later		2008-05-07	2009-02-19	2009-07-23	2011-01-28	N/A
Denmark	2002-04-10	2002-05-08	2008-04-24	2008-06-25	2009-05-26	2011-03-04	N/A
Estonia	joined the EU later		2007-10-17	2007-11-22	2008-09-11	2010-08-19	N/A
Finland	2004-01-06	2004-01-06	2007-11-29	2009-03-18	2009-04-07	2011-10-21	N/A
France	2003-06-04	2003-06-04	2009-02-12	2009-07-30	2011-02-10	2012-01-16	N/A
Germany	2002-06-20	2002-10-18	2009-02-19	2009-11-16	2009-08-14	2012-02-24	N/A
Greece	2003-08-27	2003-08-27	2009-02-26	2010-03-04	2010-09-20	2011-03-10	N/A
Hungary	joined the EU later		2007-04-23	2008-05-14	2008-10-22	2010-11-16	N/A
Ireland	2002-05-06	2002-05-06	2007-06-11	2009-06-04	2009-06-04	2011-09-29	N/A
Italy	2003-10-30	2004-10-06	2008-01-07	2009-10-13	2010-09-08	2011-01-06	N/A
Latvia	joined the EU later		2006-12-19	2008-10-17	2009-11-12	2011-05-30	N/A
Lithuania	joined the EU later		2007-05-17	2009-03-04	2009-05-04	2013-06-26	N/A
Luxembourg	2003-07-28	2003-08-01	2007-07-04	2009-06-11	2010-12-22	2011-01-21	N/A
Malta	joined the EU later		2008-04-21	2008-12-11	2010-01-07	2010-07-06	N/A
Netherlands	2002-09-09	2004-04-30	2007-12-10	2009-01-29	2009-09-30	2012-02-27	N/A
Poland	joined the EU later		2007-04-14	2009-02-06	2010-04-07	2012-01-13	N/A
Portugal	2003-07-14	2003-07-14	2008-07-11	2008-09-23	2009-06-29	2011-03-04	N/A
Romania	joined the EU later			2009-01-15	2010-01-08	2012-05-22	N/A
Slovakia	joined the EU later		2007-07-20	2008-07-29	2009-03-17	2010-11-11	N/A
Slovenia	joined the EU later		2007-01-18	2008-02-07	2009-03-10	2010-12-07	N/A
Spain	2002-10-04	2002-10-04	2007-05-03	2009-03-12	2010-06-15	2010-06-21	N/A
Sweden	2002-06-25	2003-03-27	2007-03-21	2009-03-11	2009-09-14	2011-04-15	N/A
United Kingdom	2002-12-17	2004-09-03	2007-10-16	2010-01-12	2010-04-20	2011-08-11	N/A
European Communities or European Union and Euratom	2004-02-25	2004-12-21	2009-02-26	2010-03-29	2015-04-30	2013-07-22	2016-02-24
SAA entry into force	2004-04-01	2005-02-01	2009-04-01	2010-05-01	2015-06-01	2013-09-01	2016-04-01
EU membership (SAA lapsed)	(TBD)	2013-07-01	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)	(TBD)

N/A: Not applicable.

Negotiation progress

Negotiation talks have not yet started.

Screening and Chapter Dates

Acquis chapter	Screening Started	Screening Completed	Chapter Opened	Chapter Closed
1. Free Movement of Goods	–	–	–	–
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	–	–	–	–
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	–	–	–	–
4. Free Movement of Capital	–	–	–	–
5. Public Procurement	–	–	–	–
6. Company Law	–	–	–	–
7. Intellectual Property Law	–	–	–	–
8. Competition Policy	–	–	–	–
9. Financial Services	–	–	–	–
10. Information Society & Media	–	–	–	–
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	–	–	–	–
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	–	–	–	–
13. Fisheries	–	–	–	–
14. Transport Policy	–	–	–	–
15. Energy	–	–	–	–
16. Taxation	–	–	–	–
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	–	–	–	–
18. Statistics	–	–	–	–
19. Social Policy & Employment	–	–	–	–
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	–	–	–	–
21. Trans-European Networks	–	–	–	–
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	–	–	–	–
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	–	–	–	–
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	–	–	–	–
25. Science & Research	–	–	–	–
26. Education & Culture	–	–	–	–
27. Environment & Climate Change	–	–	–	–
28. Consumer & Health Protection	–	–	–	–
29. Customs Union	–	–	–	–
30. External Relations	–	–	–	–
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	–	–	–	–
32. Financial Control	–	–	–	–
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	–	–	–	–
34. Institutions	–	–	–	–
35. Other Issues	–	–	–	–
Progress	0 out of 33	0 out of 33	0 out of 35	0 out of 35

Latest EC Assessment

Acquis chapter	Latest EC Assessment	Chapter Status
Overview	17 chapters at an early stage 10 chapters with some level of preparation 1 chapter with further efforts needed 6 chapters that are moderately prepared 2 chapters in which there is nothing to adopt	0 chapters opened
1. Free Movement of Goods	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	Moderately prepared	Chapter not yet opened
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	Moderately prepared	Chapter not yet opened
4. Free Movement of Capital	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
5. Public Procurement	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
6. Company Law	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
7. Intellectual Property Law	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
8. Competition Policy	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
9. Financial Services	Moderately prepared	Chapter not yet opened
10. Information Society & Media	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
13. Fisheries	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
14. Transport Policy	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
15. Energy	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
16. Taxation	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
18. Statistics	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
19. Social Policy & Employment	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	Moderately prepared	Chapter not yet opened
21. Trans-European Networks	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
25. Science & Research	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
26. Education & Culture	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
27. Environment & Climate Change	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
28. Consumer & Health Protection	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
29. Customs Union	Moderately prepared	Chapter not yet opened
30. External Relations	Further efforts needed	Chapter not yet opened
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
32. Financial Control	Early stage	Chapter not yet opened
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	Some level of preparation	Chapter not yet opened
34. Institutions	Nothing to adopt	Chapter not yet opened
35. Other Issues	Nothing to adopt	Chapter not yet opened

Negotiation History

Acquis chapter	Latest EC Assessment
1. Free Movement of Goods	Early stage
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	Moderately prepared
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	Moderately prepared
4. Free Movement of Capital	Some level of preparation
5. Public Procurement	Some level of preparation
6. Company Law	Early stage
7. Intellectual Property Law	Some level of preparation
8. Competition Policy	Early stage
9. Financial Services	Moderately prepared
10. Information Society & Media	Some level of preparation
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	Some level of preparation
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	Some level of preparation|
13. Fisheries	Early stage
14. Transport Policy	Early stage
15. Energy	Early stage
16. Taxation	Early stage
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	Some level of preparation
18. Statistics	Some level of preparation
19. Social Policy & Employment	Early stage
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	Moderately prepared
21. Trans-European Networks	Some level of preparation
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	Early stage
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	Early stage
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	Early stage
25. Science & Research	Early stage
26. Education & Culture	Early stage
27. Environment & Climate Change	Early stage
28. Consumer & Health Protection	Early stage
29. Customs Union	Moderately prepared
30. External Relations	Further efforts needed
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	Early stage
32. Financial Control	Early stage
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	Some level of preparation
34. Institutions	Nothing to adopt
35. Other Issues	Nothing to adopt

totally incompatible   early stage / very hard to adopt   considerable efforts needed

some level of preparation   further efforts needed   moderately prepared

no major difficulties expected   good level of preparation   well prepared / well advanced

Unilateral euro adoption

Main article: Kosovo and the euro

Before Kosovo declared independence in 2008, Kosovo's economy had undergone a currency substitution, with the Deutsche Mark being the most used currency. As a result, like Germany, Kosovo (which was then a United Nations mandate) switched to the euro on 1 January 2002. The change to the euro was achieved in cooperation with the European Central Bank, and several national banks in the Eurozone. Kosovo does not mint any coins of its own.

It is unclear how Kosovo's unilateral use of the euro will impact their aspirations for further integration into the EU, which requires that states meet several convergence criteria prior to being allowed to join the eurozone. Montenegro, like Kosovo, has also unilaterally adopted the euro and is currently conducting membership negotiations with the EU. Since Montenegro's application for membership, the European Commission and the ECB have voiced their discontent over its use of the euro on several occasions. A statement attached to its Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU read: "unilateral introduction of the euro was not compatible with the Treaty." The issue is expected to be resolved through the negotiations process. The ECB has stated that the implications of unilateral euro adoption "would be spelled out at the latest in the event of possible negotiations on EU accession." Diplomats have suggested that it is unlikely Montenegro will be forced to withdraw the euro from circulation in their country.

Visa liberalisation

See also: Visa requirements for Kosovan citizens

Kosovo is the only potential candidate for membership in the Balkans that does not have visa free access for the Schengen Area. The EU and Kosovo launched a visa liberalisation dialogue on 19 January 2012. On 14 June 2012, Kosovo received a roadmap for visa liberalisation with the EU, detailing the necessary reforms. A progress report on Kosovo's implementation of the plan, which was presented by the EU on 12 February 2013, found that its "current capacity to fight organised crime and corruption remains limited, with a potentially severe impact on the EU’s internal security." Hoxhaj stated in May 2014 that he expected to get a date for the liberalisation of visa policies by the EU within a few weeks. In July 2014 he said that he had been assured that a decision would be taken to grant visa free status to Kosovo citizens by the end of the year. Johannes Hahn, Commissioner of Enlargement, said in February 2015 that "the number of asylum applications to the EU and the number of people irregularly staying in the Schengen area need to fall" prior to Kosovo being granted visa free travel to the Schengen Area. In December 2015 the European Commission published a report on Kosovo's progress to meet the conditions for visa free travel, with Dimitris Avramopoulos, Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner, saying that he hoped the remaining outstanding issues could be resolved by early 2016. The European Commission formally proposed Kosovo be granted visa free travel in May 2016. The EU has stipulated that the approval visa free access for citizens of Kosovo to the Schengen area is conditional on Kosovo approving a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. The border agreement was approved by Kosovo's parliament in March 2018. A Commission report from July 2018 concluded that Kosovo had met all of the conditions required of it for visa free access to the Schengen area.

See also

• Yugoslavia and the European Economic Community
• Enlargement of the European Union
• Political status of Kosovo
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244

External links

• European Commission Enlargement: Kosovo – EU Kosovo relations
• Commission of the European Communities: Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/99) 2008 Progress Report
• EU Integration Office – Kosovo Government: Kosovo – EU Integration Office