Brussels, 21/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament approved the association and stabilisation agreement between the EU and Kosovo with its adoption, on Thursday 21 January, of the recommendation from Ulrike Lunacek (Greens, Austria) on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the EU, of the treaty. MEPs passed the recommendation by 486 votes to 102, with 81 abstentions.
Approval came as no surprise as MEPs had called on the Council, in March 2015 (see EUROPE 11272), to approve the decision to sign and conclude the agreement as swiftly as possible. The Council gave its approval on 22 October of last year to signing the agreement which will strengthen political dialogue between the EU and Kosovo, enhance trade relations and encourage closer cooperation in many sectors, including energy, the environment, and justice and home affairs. The agreement, which was negotiated between October 2013 (see EUROPE 10952) and May 2014 (see EUROPE 11071) was initialed in July 2015 and signed on 27 October (see EUROPE 11419). The agreement was ratified by the National Assembly of Kosovo on 2 November 2015; EU member states are not required to ratify it.
In Lunacek's short justification of the recommendation, the European Parliament welcomes the deepening of relations between Kosovo and the EU. The justification states that the agreement is “a very important first formal step towards the EU accession process and the European integration path on the Republic of Kosovo”. Parliament takes the opportunity to adopt the decision to sign and conclude the framework agreement on Kosovo's participation in EU programmes and encourages the remaining five member states (Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain) which have yet to recognise the Republic of Kosovo to do so. Parliament says that recognition “would further facilitate the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)