View source for Stabilisation and Association Process

{{Short description|Part of the process of joining the European Union}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Stabilisation and Association Agreements.svg|thumb|Map of the states which have participated in the European Union's Stabilisation and Association Process, with the date of entry into force of its Stabilization and Association Agreement (and the date of lapse of the agreement for Croatia when it became an EU member state).{{legend|#3F48CC|EU member states}}{{legend|#48cc3f|SAA in force}}]]

In talks with countries that have expressed a wish to join the [[European Union]], the EU typically concludes [[European Union Association Agreement|Association Agreements]] in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or [[human rights]] reform in that country.  In exchange, the country may be offered [[tariff]]-free access to some or all EU markets ([[Industrial sector|industrial]] goods, [[Agriculture|agricultural]] products, etc.), and financial or technical assistance.

== Overview ==
Stabilisation and Association agreements are part of the EU '''Stabilisation and Association Process''' (SAP) and '''[[European Neighbourhood Policy]]''' (ENP).  At present, the countries of the [[Western Balkans]] are the focus of the SAP.  Specific '''Stabilisation and Association Agreements''' (SAA) have been implemented with various Balkan countries which explicitly include provisions for future EU membership of the country involved.  SAAs are similar in principle to the [[Europe Agreement]]s signed with the Central and Eastern European countries in the 1990s and to the Association Agreement with Turkey.

SAAs are based mostly on the EU's [[acquis communautaire]] and predicated on its promulgation in the cooperating states [[legislation]]. The depth of the policy harmonization expected by SAA is less than for [[EU member states]]; some policy areas in the Acquis may not be covered by a given SAA.

The EU's relations with the Western Balkans states were moved from the "[[Directorate-General for External Relations (European Commission)|External Relations]]" to the "[[Directorate-General for Enlargement|Enlargement]]" policy segment in 2005. As of 2022, [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]], [[Montenegro]] and [[Serbia]] are officially recognized as [[Future enlargement of the European Union#Recognised candidates|candidates]] for membership. [[Kosovo]] is not recognised as a candidate country, but as a [[Future enlargement of the European Union#Potential candidates|potential candidate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/candidate.htm#pc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060223075113/http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/candidate.htm |archive-date=February 23, 2006 |title=Enlargement: Pre Acceding Countries & Candidate countries: Potential Candidate Countries |publisher=European Union}}</ref>

As of April 2016, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have SAA's in force.  Croatia formerly had a SAA, but it lapsed when they [[2013 enlargement of the European Union|acceded to the EU]] in 2013.

The agreement with Kosovo was the first signed after the entry into force of the [[Lisbon treaty]], which conferred a legal personality to the EU.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/kosovo/press_corner/all_news/news/2014/20140502_03_en.htm|title= Stabilisation and Association Agreement negotiations successfully completed|date=2014-05-02|access-date=2014-05-02|publisher=[[European External Action Service]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-938_en.htm|title=EU starts the Stabilisation and Association Agreement negotiations with Kosovo|date=2013-10-28|access-date=2013-10-29|publisher=[[European Commission]]}}</ref>  As a result, an EU representative in Kosovo explained that "unlike SAA with other countries of the region, this one will be exclusively the EU agreement. The EU will co-sign it as a legal entity."<ref name=eurep/>  The agreement did not need to be individually ratified by each member state, some of which have not [[International recognition of Kosovo|recognized the independence of Kosovo]].<ref name=neg>{{cite web|url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-launches-saa-dailogue-with-the-eu|title=Kosovo Launches Crucial SAA Talks With EU|date=2013-10-28|access-date=2013-10-28|publisher=[[Balkan Insight]]}}</ref>  The representative went on to say that "since Kosovo is not recognized by the five member states, we had to issue a directive saying that the signing of the agreement will not signify that the EU or any of the countries recognize Kosovo as a state."<ref name=eurep>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=121611|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027172136/http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=121611|url-status=usurped|archive-date=27 October 2013|title= Kosovo to negotiate on Stabilisation and Association Agreement|date=2013-10-27|access-date=2013-10-27}}</ref>

== Stabilisation and Association Process ==
{{Stabilisation_and_Association_Process}}

== See also ==
* [[Future enlargement of the European Union]]
* [[European Neighbourhood Policy]]
* [[European Union Association Agreement]]
* [[Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe]] (SP for SEE)
* [[Central European Free Trade Agreement]]
* [[Third-country economic relationships with the European Union#Economic variation|SAp country statistics]]
* [[Southeast Europe Transport Community]]
*[[Rules of Origin]]
*[[Market access]]
*[[Free-trade area]]
*[[Tariffs]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090124012453/http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/glossary/terms/sap_en.htm European Commission Website]

{{Foreign relations of the European Union}}
{{Reach of the European Union|state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:Instruments and programmes related to European Union enlargement]]
[[Category:Treaties entered into by the European Union]]