Dialogue to feed the Progress Report with Kosovo concrete achievements

The implementation of the conclusions and follow-up actions from the meeting will be of key importance in determining further steps for Kosovo in the EU Stabilisation and Association Process, with the rule of law being a key priority and one of the major challenges Kosovo faces.

Samuel Žbogar, the Head of the EU Office in Kosovo and EU Special Representative said:

“SAP Dialogue is the most concrete way to asses the current status of the progress of Kosovo society in all essential fields. If the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo is the most talked about these days, than the SAP Dialogue is where the concrete topics of Kosovo everyday’s future are discussed. The EU will insist on further strengthening of the Rule of law, judicial reform, fight against corruption and respect of human rights.”
In the field of the fundamental human rights, the meeting will focus on the progress achieved in the rights of the minorities, gender equality and freedom of expression.

The SAP Dialogue meeting is organised together with the Ministry for European Integration.

Vlora Çitaku, Minister for European Integration, said:

“We are very much aware that through this process we can prove to our European partners the necessary improvements we have made in order to get closer also to the visa liberalisation. How and when this process will lead to visa free travel depends on our work. Together with the EU Office in Kosovo we have established a very precise action plan, a real “to-do” chart, that will help us address the challenges that are still in front of us. I see SAP dialogue as an important tool in identifying sustainable solutions in the process of Kosovo’s European integration.”

The European Union will continue to discuss issues in the areas of rule of law and fundamental rights with the Kosovo authorities throughout 2013. The meetings will contribute to setting priorities for the Kosovo future, especially in the fields of fight against organised crime, civil registries and document security, integrated border management, readmission and reintegration and human rights.

Background information

• The SAP Dialogue is the framework for the EC and the Kosovo administration to regularly discuss technical and policy issues in relation to the European agenda. The meetings provide direct input into the European Commission’s yearly progress report.

• The SAP Dialogue monitors and accompanies Kosovo’s delivery on reforms, in particular with regard to the priorities defined in the European Partnership, and identifies how the EU can assist in this process.

• There are seven areas covered in sectoral meetings and they follow closely the format of the dialogue that the EU has with other candidates and potential candidates. The sectoral meetings are on 1) Justice, Freedom and Security; 2) Innovation, Information Society, Social Policy, Education and Culture; 3) Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation; 4) Internal Market, Competition, Consumer and Health Protection; 5) Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Food Safety; 6) Transport, Environment, Energy, Regional Development and 7) Economic and Financial Issues, Statistics.

• Sectoral and plenary SAP Dialogue meetings are co-chaired by the European Commission and the government. Each meeting results in jointly agreed follow-up actions to be taken by the Kosovo authorities. A plenary meeting, where the reform priorities will be discussed, is expected to take place in July 2013. The conclusions from the meetings will be available at the website of the EU Office in Kosovo.