Kosovo’s parliament ratifies SAA with EU in absence of opposition

By bne IntelliNews November 2, 2015

Kosovo's parliament ratified on November 2 the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, seen as a crucial step in the country’s further EU integration. The SAA was approved with 86 votes in the 120-seat assembly, in the absence of opposition parties.

Opposition parties boycotted the voting, but did not disrupt the session as they had in several previous sittings, when they let off tear gas in protest against the EU-backed landmark agreements with Serbia and border demarcation deal with Montenegro.

The SAA was signed on October 27 in Strasbourg.

The SAA between Kosovo and the European Union is the first step in Kosovo's most important journey towards the EU, Kosovo's minister for EU integration Bekim Collaku said in a parliamentary statement.

Collaku added that the agreement was not a gift, but came as a result of the country’s real achievements. He emphasised the role of the agreement in the country’s further economic development, since it opens the way for Kosovo to be integrated into a market of over 500 million people.

The SAA also provides a framework for political dialogue and covers co-operation in the sectors of justice, trade, education, employment, energy and environment, among others.

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