Stabilisation and Association Process
- EU countries
- EU candidate
- Made application for membership
- Membership application pending
- Status controversial: Kosovo
It is the practice of the European Union, with states seeking membership in the EU, initially a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (English Stabilization and Association Agreement, SAA ) complete. Thus, the legal and economic foundations of the country concerned meet the standards of the European Union equalized ( Association Agreements). The objective of the SAA is to achieve the necessary stability in the intergovernmental relationship that is a prerequisite for start of accession talks. The agreement " unpleasant surprises ", such as economic shocks in terms of the future market integration with the European internal market or economic or political setbacks in the associated countries should be avoided.
Background
Within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement requirements are set which must reach the States within a certain time frame. The future candidate can also set individual quotas or facilities for product exports to the EU, as well as from the EU. Usually, a customs union with the EU is rapidly formed. For this reason, the SAA is also referred to as precursor of the actual EU accession.
Croatia and Macedonia were among the first 2001 candidate countries which have signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU. 2006, an agreement was signed with Albania, on 15 March 2007 with Montenegro. Bosnia - Herzegovina and Serbia signed both mid-2008. Serbia talks were put in May 2006 ( in relation to the extradition of Mladic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague) suspended due to lack of cooperation and incorporated only a year later. The signing of the Agreement by the Serbian President Boris Tadić finally took place on 29 April 2008 ( subject to conditions ). The signing of Bosnia took place on 16 June 2008 after the Balkan country had implemented the required by the EU police reform in April 2008. A signature is not the same as the entry into force of the SAA. For it is only from the entry into force is a contractual bond with all the rights, obligations and financial transfers between the EU on the potential candidate countries.
The accession countries of 2004 concluded with the EU, a so-called Europe Agreements, an instrument which has since been replaced by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
The Stability Pact was converted to the Cooperation Council for South Eastern Europe in 2008.
Aim and purpose
The aim and purpose of the stabilization and association agreement is a contractual relationship between the states, which have a recognized membership in the European Union and the EU itself, this contract reflects an EU accession perspective and should therefore serve as a catalyst for this, necessary changes. In order to allow changes on side of the applicant State or accelerate there is next to the prospect of accession financial support from the EU (CARDS program).
Content
- Political dialogue
- Free trade
- Free movement of capital, labor and services
- Adaptation of the legal and economic squad to the acquis communautaire
- Justice and internal affairs (in cooperation with the War Crimes Tribunal )
- Regional Cooperation