European Union Integration at the Local Level Report Background of Kosovo – EU Relations Short Overview In the context of EU Schengen visa liberalization with the Western Balkan countries, with the exemption of Croatia,(and Kosovo, at that time being under UNMIK Administration), there are two critical moments that preceded this process. At the political level, in the Thessaloniki Summit held on 21 June 2003, the EU expressed its political commitment to give the visa liberalization perspective to the Western Balkan countries. This Summit provides for the reforms in key areas aimed at meeting the important criteria, such as: strengthening of the rule of law, fight against organized crime, corruption and illegal migration, as well as strengthening of administrative capacities for border control and document security. 1 Further, on 18 September 2007, this political commitment was translated to contractual relation through the signature of visa facilitation agreements and readmission agreements between the EU member states in one hand and Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, in the other. These agreements facilitate the issuance of the Schengen visa(specifically for those categories of Western Balkan citizens, who need to travel to EU most) and put in place rules and procedures for the management of legal migration and fighting of illegal one. While the final statement of this Summit implied that visa liberalization perspective was there for all Western Balkan citizens, 2 until 2009 this was not specified in bilateral documents signed between Kosovo and EU within the Stabilization Association Tracking Mechanism. 3 In 2009 Kosovo unilaterally started to meet these criteria. On the other hand, Kosovo side lacks a political pressure towards the EU and its presence in Prishtina, and the diplomatic activities with EU on this issue are lagging far behind. In fact, it seems that even lobbying would not have helped that much in the situation when local authorities still did not enjoy full competencies in visa liberalization relevant sectors, coupled with insufficient legal capacity for entering into bilateral relations with EU member states on visa facilitation and readmission issues. The first step should have been the full transfer of competencies in relevant sectors from UNMIK to local authorities. This was supposed to be 1 EU-Western Balkans Summit – Statement, Item 7, available at http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/enlargement_process/ accession_process/how_does_a_country_join_the_eu/sap/thessaloniki_summit_en.htm 2 EU-Western Balkans Summit – Statement, Item 7, available at http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/enlargement_process /accession_process/how_does_a_country_join_the_eu/sap/thessaloniki_summit_en.htm 3 Stabilization Association Process, available at http://www.delprn.ec.europa.eu/?cid=2,133, Conclusions of the SAP Dialogue, available at http://www.delprn.ec.europa.eu/?cid=2,169 7