Kosovo and the European Union held the 7th meeting of the Sub-Committee on Justice, Freedom, and Security in Pristina under the framework of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). The meeting was co-chaired by Gresa Selimaj Bytyqi, Acting Director of the Office for Political Criteria at the Prime Minister’s Office of Kosovo, and Jiri Plecity, Head of the Unit for Kosovo and Serbia at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy.
The discussions focused on progress and future cooperation in the areas of rule of law, fundamental rights, and internal affairs.
Key Priorities and Outcomes:
- Judicial Reform: Participants agreed to cooperate to strengthen accountability, integrity, professionalism, and independence in the judiciary, in line with Venice Commission recommendations and the Joint Commitment Declaration. Administrative justice and pending court cases were also addressed.
- Anti-Corruption & Organized Crime: Discussions focused on implementing Kosovo’s strategic framework, enhancing inter-institutional cooperation, asset confiscation, and utilizing the new database on corruption and organized crime. Updates were provided on asset declaration, whistleblower protection, conflict of interest prevention, and anti-money laundering legislation.
- Internal Affairs: Sectoral dialogue addressed counter-terrorism, violent extremism, narcotics, migration, visa and asylum issues, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling.
- Fundamental Rights: Cooperation with the Ombudsman, coordination on minority rights, gender equality, gender-based violence, freedom of expression, and transitional justice were discussed.
Kosovo and the European Commission agreed to continue collaboration across all areas, including technical levels, to ensure the timely implementation of ongoing reforms and to design future reforms. Concrete conclusions with set deadlines were adopted to help Kosovo prioritize reforms and implement recommendations from the 2025 EU Kosovo Report.
The SAA framework provides a platform for technical and policy discussions on EU-related reforms. Its organs include the Stabilization and Association Council, the Committee, and various sub-committees covering a broad range of EU legislation. These meetings directly contribute to the Commission’s annual reports.
The SAA’s seven sectoral sub-committees cover:
- Justice, Freedom, and Security
- Innovation, Information Society, Social Policy, Education, and Culture
- Trade, Industry, Customs, and Taxes
- Internal Market, Competition, Consumer Protection, and Health
- Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, and Food Safety
- Transport, Environment, Energy, Climate Change, and Regional Development
- Economic and Financial Affairs, Statistics
Two additional areas—public administration reform and Kosovo-Serbia normalization—are addressed through special working groups. Each sub-committee meeting results in jointly agreed follow-up actions, allowing Kosovo authorities to implement EU recommendations before the next meeting.
