Kosovo and European Commission discuss Internal Market, Competition, Health and Consumer Protection issues

Kosovo authorities and the European Commission on 2nd February met in the context of the Stabilisation and Association Process Dialogue (SAPD). In the meeting, they discussed a wide range of topics such as consumer and health protection, movement of capital, financial services and company law, public procurement and free movement of services, intellectual property rights and competition policy.

On health, both parties agreed that it is important that Kosovo establishes a sustainable, cost-effective and patient centred health system, bringing it closer to internationally recognized quality and safety standards. The establishment of the Health Insurance Fund is a critical step to realise this, as is further investment in promotion of healthy lifestyle, prevention of diseases and protection of the population against serious cross-border health threats.

On consumer protection, the Commission underlined the need to increase awareness raising and ensure proper treatment of consumer complaints. The Commission reiterated the need of establishment of the National Inspection Council and reviewing of the system of surveillance of inspectorates.

On the movement of capital, financial services and company law, the Commission and Kosovo authorities agreed on the need to advance on the legislation and its enforcement. The Commission underlined the need to look into possibility to align corporate tax on insurance with other industries.

On public procurement, the Commission welcomed the government’s efforts on further alignment Kosovo legislation on public procurement with the SAA requirements and launching of the e-procurement. The Commission underlined that considerable efforts are still needed to use public procurement efficiently. It remains essential to professionalise and de-politicise the system and make it transparent and accountable. This includes the e appointment of competent board members to the Public Procurement Review Body (PPRB) so as to make it operational. The Commission encouraged Kosovo to further implement centralised public procurement and take the necessary steps for effective implementation of electronic procurement.

On free movement of services, the Commission noted the plans to advance on the alignment of national legislation with the Service Directive as well as the state of play on the negotiations on professional services with CEFTA member states.

On intellectual property rights, the Commission welcomed the developments on legislative framework and further alignment with the EU acquis and encouraged to continue development of secondary legislation, necessary for implementation of the SAA. The Commission strongly encouraged Kosovo to focus on enforcement and implementation, including a more active role by the State Intellectual Property Council.

Finally, on competition, the Commission reiterated its concern on the functioning of the institutions in charge of competition and state aid. This is critical in view of the upcoming SAA implementation and it urged Kosovo to appoint the competent and independent Members of the Board of the Competition Commission and to ensure adequate resources for the functioning of the Competition Authority and the State Aid office.

Background information

The discussion and conclusions reached at this meeting will be fed into the Kosovo report for 2016. The conclusions from the meetings are also posted at the website of the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative and website of Ministry for European Integration.