November 25 (SeeNews) - Kosovo signed on Friday a framework agreement to join European Union programmes offering financial and technical assistance in various areas including public administration, civil rights, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and education, the European Council said in a statement.
The agreement was signed at the first meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council between the European Union and Kosovo, a statement published on the website of the European Council showed.
The agreement envisages that projects and initiatives submitted by participants from Kosovo will be, as far as possible, subject to the same conditions, rules and procedures pertaining to the Union programmes concerned as applied to EU member states.
The move follows the launch of a European reform agenda on November 11, which aims at guiding Kosovo's reform efforts in areas such as good governance and rule of law, competitiveness and the investment climate, as well as employment and education. This European reform agenda is supposed to help Kosovo in the implementation of the obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), signed last year.
The meeting discussed reform priorities in areas including rule of law and judicial reforms, respect for fundamental rights, public administration reform, and economic reforms.
The EU encouraged once again Kosovo to intensify work on the ratification of the border agreement with Montenegro and to continue to strengthen the track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
The meeting underlined the importance of progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade and of the implementation of all agreements already reached without delay.
On November 11, the European Commission came up with a list of reforms which Kosovo should implement over the next 12 to 18 months.
In the reform agenda, the EU urged Kosovo to address issues such as the independence of the judiciary, merit-based appointments and selection procedures, and transparency in political party finances in order to improve the governance and the rule of law. It called for the introduction of e-procurement in order to increase transparency and accountability in the awarding of public procurements.
The EU also encouraged Kosovo to tackle the large informal economy and to improve the business environment which will create a better investment climate. Other measures it proposes are creating an investor aftercare programme and reducing administrative burdens.
Better teacher training programmes, creating links between education and the job market, improving the quality of vocational training and facilitating school to work transition are some of the measures that aim to provide the young people of Kosovo with the right skills necessary to get a job.
"These reforms are urgent and some of them overdue," Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Johannes Hahn said at the time. "But when implemented it can bring great benefits for the people of Kosovo. It will stop the brain drain and turn it into brain circulation, allowing the young bright people to have an economic future in Kosovo," he added.