Technical assistance in the context of European integration of Kosovo

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to Kosovo’s efforts to meet the requirements of the Stability and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU), which has entered into force in spring 2016. The SAA is the first document establishing a contractual relationship with the EU, and provides, for a period of 10 years, the main reference framework for Kosovo’s progress towards European integration.

In order to meet its SAA obligations, Kosovo needs to engage in further democratic reforms, achieve social and economic development, and progressively align with EU legislation and standards, so that it is able to fully implement the EU “acquis communautaire” (the accumulated body of EU law and obligations from 1958 to the present day) upon accession.

The national counterpart of the project, the Ministry for European Integration (MEI), provides political and administrative leadership for all European Integration (EUI)-related processes.

The Ministry has the necessary structure and legal powers. Line ministries have dedicated Departments of European Integration and Policy Coordination (DEIPCs) to deal with the integration process. Still, their skills and expertise, along with those of ministries’ legal departments and the main technical units in charge of EUI, need to be strengthened considerably.

Current assistance programmes offer capacity development but these are often highly targeted and of limited flexibility. The MEI has therefore asked the creation of a flexible Human Capacity Development facility.

The facility, which will be entirely managed by the MEI, will provide:

• training/training of trainers;
• TA and coaching;
• study tours and secondments to member state institutions involved in acquis implementation;
• in-depth research of EU policies to support the formulation of national policies.

In order to do this a training-fund financed by the project will be created within the National Budget. Technical and administrative assistance provided to the MEI to help with implementation.

The main beneficiaries of the project are the MEI as the main coordinating institution, as well as line ministries and national-level independent institutions and agencies engaged in the implementation of the acquis.

The Technical Assistance in the Context of European Integration of Kosovo project is also to contribute to the implementation of a new national strategy for communication and information on the integration process.