Meeting the political and the legislative Copenhagen Criteria, the case of Kosovo (original) (raw)
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THE COPENHAGEN POLITICAL CRITERIA FOR JOINING THE EU: THE CASE OF KOSOVO
The Republic of Kosovo is fully committed to the process of European Integration with one clear objective: to join the EU. As the last state from the Balkan Peninsula to do so, Kosovo has signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU. The promise of EU membership is thus on the horizon, but Kosovo expects considerable work to achieve that objective. The Copenhagen Convention requires development in political, economic and legislative contexts. This paper examines Kosovo's development in terms of meeting one of the Copenhagen Criteria: the Political Criteria. By applying the analytical methodology, the paper elaborates Kosovo's progress in the political arena.
Kosovo's EU candidate status: a goal within reach? EPC Discussion Paper, 28 June 2017
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Ever since its declaration of independence in 2008, Kosovo has made European integration one of its key foreign policy objectives. Having made headway over the past years in its efforts to draw nearer to the European Union – most recently by signing a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU – Kosovo is now eager to take the next step in its EU integration process: to apply for EU membership and receive candidate status. However, with five member states still unwilling to recognise its statehood, Kosovo finds itself in a unique and difficult position regarding its eligibility to advance towards the EU and eventually accede to the European Union.
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Although Kosovo has been recognized by most members of the European Union, there are still five states that refuse to accept its unilateral declaration of independence. Kosovo's ‘European perspective’ would therefore appear to be hampered by its contested status. However, this paper argues that while the dispute over its independence is significant, and certainly makes establishing relations with the EU more difficult than might otherwise have been the case, it is not as problematic as it may appear. For the meantime, Kosovo remains a long way away from meeting even the most basic requirements for formal EU integration. At this stage, the key task facing the EU is state building. Somewhat paradoxically, this has not required a united position on status. Even in the medium term, the question of status need not be an impediment to Kosovo's EU integration in a range of areas. Even in those instances where a formal relationship needs to be established, there are ways in which this can be managed. Indeed, this paper argues that only when Kosovo is ready for full EU membership would its contested status become a wholly decisive issue for its ‘European perspective’.
Sabor politikologa, Vol. 17 (2024), 2024
This article analyses the application for membership in the EU submitted by the Kosovo government in 2022 in the context of changing geopolitical realities in Europe. It maps out four key obstacles for Kosovo to get a green light for the candidacy status and the membership perspective overall. First and the biggest challenge of Kosovo is the contested statehood and unresolved sovereignty questions. Second, the EU’s non-recognition of Kosovo and its neutrality policy towards its status stands in front of Kosovo’s membership in this organisation. Third, contractual relations between the EU and Kosovo severely limit its chances to join the EU. Lastly, potential vetoing by some Member States, especially five non-recognisers, is highly likely which severely affects Kosovo’s chances of joining the EU. Nevertheless, despite the fact that in short-term there will be no progress of Kosovo towards the EU, the article argues that the EU-facilitated dialogue have a potential to unlock the membership perspective for Kosovo in a long-term.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2014
The concretization of the European perspectives for the Western Balkans presented at the high level meeting in Thessaloniki in 2003, known as the Thessaloniki Agenda, is the cornerstone of the EU policy for the Western Balkans region and the fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria is essential for the EU membership application. Since 2003, The European Commission checks the fulfilling of these criteria by the means of so-called progress reports. Based on a 10-year reporting period by the European Commission to Albania, I have focused on the performance of the political criteria for highlighting not only the chronological developments in every field with the highlighted achievements and problems, but also to analyze the tasks that the EU has left each year and the role that Albanian political factor has played in the meeting of this criteria.
European Union Integration Process and Its Challenges for Kosovo
Zbornik radova - Journal of Economy and Business, 2018
European integration is process that has rules which must be followed from all aspirant countries, as well as with a great dedication to the process. Kosovo and its integration into the European Union, has in front very difficult road to be passed. Main objectives of Kosovo is being member of European Union. To achieve that, threshold mentioned in articles 49 and 6 of European Union Treaty should be passed. Being part of European Union, Kosovo must respect all principles mentioned in article 6. Function of rule of law system is very important for economic development of Kosovo and its integration in European Union. Even there exists commitment from Governmental institutions of Kosovo for empowering rule of law, problems and challenges that Kosovo faces in this field are complex and much more in number, and much more must be invested in all types of resources in order to achieve requested corrections. Legal system of Kosovo still can be described as one of the most complex systems an...
Neutrality of the EU, additional obstacle in the Kosovo EU integration process
Thesis, 2018
Engagement of EU institutions has been different in various aspects in Kosovo compared to engagement these institutions had in the other states of the Balkans. The role of EU institutions has been very important during the first phases of construction and reconstruction of Kosovo after the settlement of international civil administration when the EU had one of the most important pillars of international administration. However, in the process of integrations according to the Stabilization and Association Process, there were created mechanisms which put Kosovo in a different position compared to Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, etc. After the Declaration of Kosovo Independence, five EU member states did not (and still do not) recognize Kosovo independence whereas EU institutions continue to keep the neutral position regarding Kosovo status. These are issues which have slowed down and made it difficult the process of integration of Kosovo, whereas Kosovo is the last state that entered into the contractual relations with the EU institutions. In addition, to Kosovo, there were given additional conditions which were not applied to other Balkan countries. Paper using the combined methodology makes an analysis of intervention of the EU institutions through various phases, including the phase of dissolution of the former Yugoslav federation up to the declaration of Kosovo Independence.
Kosovo's Journey Towards European Integration: Progress, Challenges, and the Way Forward
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Kosovo, a landlocked country in the Western Balkans, declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Since then, it has been actively pursuing its European integration process to become a fully-fledged member of the European Union. The European integration process is a strategic priority for Kosovo, as it seeks to align its legal, institutional, and administrative framework standard. The process promotes democratic governance, the rule of law, human rights, and economic development. Kosovo's European integration process is guided by the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) it signed with the European Union in 2015, which sets out the framework for Kosovo's engagement with the European Union and outlines the necessary reforms and commitments for its European integration. The SAA is accompanied by several other European Union instruments and initiatives, such as the European Reform Agenda, which provides a roadmap for reforms, and the European Investment Plan, which aims t...