Stabilisation and Association Structures

Joint institutional structures of stabilization-association
The Stabilization-Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Kosovo (SAA) contains a special part of provisions that establish joint institutional structures of Stabilization-Association responsible for supervising the implementation of the agreement. These provisions are included in chapter X of the SAA, namely articles 126 – 132.

These structures are formal institutional instances through which the reform dialogue is developed between the relevant institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and those of the EU, with the involvement of the member states, for the fulfillment of SAA obligations and other requirements in this context within of the process of Kosovo’s integration into the EU. Based on these provisions, immediately after the entry into force of the SAA, the following structures were created and are functioning:

• The Stabilization-Association Council (SAC), the highest decision-making structure, at the political level, with scope in all areas regulated by the SAA (based on articles 126 – 128 of the SAA);
• The Stabilization-Association Committee (Committee), the high-level structure of the civil service, with scope in all areas regulated by the SAA (based on Article 129); AND
• Subcommittees and special stabilization-association groups, sectoral level structures (based on articles 130 – 131), respectively these structures:• Subcommittee for Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxes;

• Subcommittee for Agriculture and Fisheries;
• Subcommittee for Internal Market and Competition;
• Subcommittee for Economic and Financial Affairs and Statistics;
• Subcommittee for Justice, Freedom and Security;
• Subcommittee for Innovation, Information Society and Social Policy;
• Subcommittee for Transport, Energy, Environment and Regional Development;
• Special Group for Public Administration Reform; AND
• Special Group for Normalization.

The composition and rules of operation of these structures are regulated in more detail through two other normative acts:
• Rules of Procedure of the Stabilization-Association Council, approved by CSA, and

• Government Regulation (CRK) – no. 13/2016 on the Functioning and Representation of the Institutions of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo in Stabilization-Association Structures, approved by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo.

In addition to these, the Parliamentary Stabilization-Association Commission (KPSA) also functions as a joint institutional structure of the European Parliament and the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo (based on Article 132).