Focusing on the recommendations of the European Commission’s 2025 Report on Kosovo and Kosovo’s reform commitments under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, representatives of Kosovo and the European Commission reviewed progress and discussed future priorities for reform implementation aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Kosovo’s economy and advancing its EU integration.
Discussions covered public procurement, competition policy, the right of establishment and the freedom to provide services, consumer and health protection, state aid, financial services, and company law.
In the area of public procurement, the Commission encouraged Kosovo to adopt the revised Laws on Public Procurement and Public-Private Partnerships, in line with the EU acquis and European best practices. The Commission noted the need to further strengthen the administrative capacity of Procurement Review Body, including the appointment of the fifth board member, to deal more effectively with the demanding tasks under their mandate. It encouraged Kosovo to continue upgrading the e-procurement platform and welcomed ongoing efforts to strengthen administrative capacities and inter-institutional cooperation in the field of public procurement.
The Commission encouraged Kosovo institutions to address the continued absence of a functioning State Aid Commission since 2021, leading to a lack of effective decision-making and State aid control. In addition, this hampers further alignment with the EU acquis including on secondary legislation. State aid measures currently in force, should be inventoried and brought in line with applicable State aid rules.
As regards competition policy, the Commission called on Kosovo to proceed without delay with the appointment of the remaining members of the Kosovo Competition Commission, further strengthen its enforcement record, and continue aligning its legislation and practices with the EU acquis. The Commission acknowledged efforts to enhance cooperation with sectoral regulators and welcomed the continuation of training and awareness-raising activities on competition rules.
Regarding the right of establishment and the freedom to provide services, the Commission encouraged Kosovo to develop the Point of Single Contact for services and continue harmonising its legislation with the EU Services Directive. It welcomed progress in drafting a new Law on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, while stressing the need to further strengthen the administrative capacity of the Department for Regulated Professions operating under the Ministry of Education Science and Technology.
In the area of health and consumer protection, the Commission welcomed the adoption of the new Law on Mandatory Health Insurance. It also underlined the importance of ensuring sustainable financing for the public health sector and establishing a functional health information system to support healthcare reforms and improve the quality and accessibility of public healthcare services for all citizens. The Commission reiterated the need to adopt a new Law on Consumer Protection, further align with the EU acquis on product safety, and strengthen consumer protection enforcement, including by increasing the number of inspectors.
Finally, in the areas of company law and financial services, the Commission noted that further efforts are needed to address remaining gaps in company law, particularly regarding business registration and disclosure requirements. In the field of financial services, the Commission welcomed progress in the adoption and implementation of the new Banking Law, which represents an important step towards alignment with the EU banking framework.
Background information
- The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is the framework for the EU and Kosovo to regularly discuss technical and policy issues in relation to the EU-related reforms. The SAA bodies include the Stabilisation and Association Council, assisted by the Stabilisation and Association Committee, as well as SAA Sub-Committees, which cover a wide range of the EU acquis. The meetings of the SAA bodies provide direct input into the European Commission’s annual reports.
- Each Sub-Committee meeting monitors and accompanies Kosovo’s delivery on reforms and identifies how the EU can assist in this process.
- There are seven areas covered through sectorial meetings of sub-committees, on Justice, Freedom and Security; Innovation, Information Society, Social Policy, Education and Culture; Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation; Internal Market, Competition, Consumer and Health Protection; Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Food Safety; Transport, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Regional Development; Economic and Financial Issues, Statistics.
- Two other areas covered through the meetings of special groups are the reform of the public administration and normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
- SAA Committee and Sub-Committee meetings are co-chaired by the European Commission and Kosovo. Each meeting results in jointly agreed follow-up actions to be taken by the Kosovo institutions. The time between the meetings allows for the implementation of the recommendations and agreed follow-up actions.
