Kosovo institutions will deliver tangible results for next Progress Report

Pristina, 1 July 2011 - After a full cycle of the Stabilisation and Association Process Dialogue (SAPD) sector meetings, the representatives of the European Commission (EC) and Kosovo institutions had the Plenary meeting on Friday, 1 July 2011 to discuss the progress made over the past year for implementing Kosovos European agenda and to define the priorities for the future. The conclusions from the meeting will be fed into the EC Progress Report, due in 12 October 2011.


The SAPD Plenary meeting was opened by Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, and Pierre Mirel, and Director for the Western Balkans at the Enlargement Directorate-General of the European Commission.

Ministers and officials from Kosovo institutions presented progress made since last year and the issues that still need to be tackled further.

Both sides focused on the key areas that need further reforms and follow up actions, in particular the rule of law and the fight against organised crime and corruption, reforms in public administration, electoral and constitutional reform and macro-economic policies. 

Mr. Pierre Mirel said:
"I would like to commend the Ministry for European Integration for organizing this successful meeting as well as the sectorial meeting throughout the year. This is another positive step to improve coordination for Kosovo's European agenda.

"We are aware that elections and the formation of the new government put Kosovo’s reform process on hold.  It is positive that Kosovo institutions share the view on priorities that need to be tackled. In the autumn, the European Commission will be publishing its annual report on the progress that Kosovo has made, so it is now time to intensify joint work of all Kosovo institutions – the government, assembly and judiciary to deliver tangible results ahead of this year's progress report, and on the basis of a programme of reforms shared between the institutions. Increasingly, our focus will be on implementation rather than legislative activity."   

Mr Hashim Thaci said:
"I want to restate the full commitment of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and Kosovo citizens for the European perspective of our country and the whole region. Thus, the perspective of Kosovo's membership to EU is continuously being confirmed at all levels. The Kosovo Government is aware that this perspective is an imperative for a sustainable economic development and improvement of the life of Kosovo citizens.

"I can say with full confidence that the Government of Kosovo is fully engaged in intensifying the dynamics of the integration process and ready to take over its responsibilities for the implementation of the European agenda. Furthermore, the intensification of the political and technical dialogue with the European Commission adds a vital contribution in this respect."

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. 
•    Kosovo's progress in the EU Integration process depends on fulfilling the conclusions from the SAP Dialogue sectorial and plenary meetings. Once finalized, the conclusions from both sectorial and plenary meetings are made public on the EC Liaison Office website.