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Das Kosovo*, in dem 1,8 Mio. Menschen (davon 93 % ethnische Albaner) leben, erklärte im Jahr 2008 einseitig seine Unabhängigkeit von Serbien. Die Aussicht des Kosovo auf eine Zukunft in der EU wurde auf den Gipfeltreffen EU-Westbalkan aus dem Jahr 2003 bekräftigt. Das Land steht seit 2011 in einem von der EU vermittelten politischen Dialog mit Serbien. Am 18. März 2023 trafen sich Vertreter des Kosovo und Serbiens in Ohrid (Nordmazedonien). Eine der wichtigsten Verpflichtungen, die sie dort eingegangen ...

In November 2021, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) requested an own-initiative annual report on the implementation of the association agreement between the EU and Georgia (2021/2236(INI)). Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonia) is the appointed rapporteur. The Ex-Post Evaluation Unit (EVAL) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has prepared this European implementation assessment (EIA) to accompany the scrutiny work of AFET. This EIA is an update of a European ...

Judicial independence is one of the key components of the rule of law (Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union – TEU), together with the fundamental right to a fair trial (Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) and the principle of effective judicial protection (Article 19(1) TEU). When it comes to standards for judicial independence, a special role is played by the Council of Europe and its judicial body, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. ...

Among the Western Balkan countries aspiring to EU membership, Serbia is seen as a frontrunner in terms of its democratic institutions, level of economic development and overall readiness for accession. However, in November 2018 opposition politician, Borko Stefanović, was beaten up by thugs, triggering a wave of protests that has spread across the country. Week after week, thousands have taken to the streets, accusing Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of ...

In November 2018, the European Parliament is due to debate a resolution on the European Commission’s 2018 country report on Kosovo. The latest progress report notes that Kosovo has had limited success in bringing forward EU-related reforms. It calls on government and opposition to work together in order to implement them.

In November 2018, the European Parliament is due to debate a resolution on the European Commission’s 2018 enlargement report on Albania. The latest report notes that Albania has made progress on its five key priorities; however, corruption and political instability remain pervasive, meaning the country cannot move beyond the early stages of accession preparation.

In recent years the EU concluded Association Agreements, including the creation of a Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. These are amongst the most complex and comprehensive legal treaties concluded by the EU with third countries. The treaties place a profound obligation on the partner countries of legal approximation, that is, to undertake extensive, binding commitments to adopt vast swathes of the acquis in order to stimulate political and economic development and ...

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

The victory over the so-called Islamic State’s territorial rule presents a chance for the Government of Iraq to rebuild its state institutions and re-assert its authority. In this transition, will the Iraqi leadership move past cycles of failure and address the structural problems that perpetuate state weakness and facilitate the emergence of groups like ISIS? To answer this question, this paper analyses the challenges of short-term stabilisation programming with longer-term governance reform at ...

Im Juni 2017 stimmt das Europäische Parlament über einen Entschließungsantrag zu dem serbischen Länderbericht 2016 ab. Es erkennt die Fortschritte, die Serbien bei den Verhandlungen über den Beitritt zur EU erzielt hat, und die strenge Reformagenda Serbiens an und betont, dass der Dialog mit Pristina und Rechtsstaatlichkeitsreformen auch künftig im Hinblick auf Maßnahmen vorrangig sein werden.