In accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2015/1988 (1), the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and Kosovo (‘the Agreement’), was signed on behalf of the Union on 22 October 2015 subject to its conclusion at a later date.
(2)
The Union and Kosovo have strong links and share values and a desire to strengthen those links and establish a close and lasting relationship based on reciprocity and mutual interest, which should allow Kosovo to further strengthen and extend its relations with the Union.
(3)
The ‘First agreement on principles governing the normalisation of relations’ was reached on 19 April 2013 in the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue.
(4)
The Agreement provides for the establishment of an association between the Union and Kosovo involving reciprocal rights and obligations, common actions and special procedure. It also contains provisions falling within the scope of Chapter 2 of Title V of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) concerning the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Union. The decision to conclude the Agreement should therefore be based on the legal basis providing for the establishment of an association allowing the Union to enter into commitments in all areas covered by the Treaties and on the legal basis for agreements in areas covered by Chapter 2 of Title V of the TEU.
(5)
This is an EU-only agreement. The commitments and cooperation to be entered into by the Union under this Agreement relate only to the areas covered by the EU acquis or existing Union policies. The signing and conclusion of this Agreement as an EU-only Agreement is without prejudice to the nature and scope of any similar agreements to be negotiated in the future. It is also without prejudice to the powers of the EU institutions conferred on them in the Treaties and the positions of EU institutions and Member States on competences. The Agreement provides for wide-ranging cooperation in various policy areas, including in justice and home affairs.
(6)
The conclusion of the Agreement is without prejudice to Member States’ position on the status of Kosovo, which will be decided in accordance with their national practice and international law.
(7)
In addition, none of the terms, wording or definitions used in this Decision and the attached text of the Agreement, nor any recourse to all the necessary legal bases for the conclusion of the Agreement, constitute recognition of Kosovo by the Union as an independent State nor does it constitute recognition by individual Member States of Kosovo in that capacity where they have not previously taken such a step.
(8)
The conclusion of the Agreement as regards matters falling under the competence of the European Atomic Energy Community is subject to a separate procedure.
