Legal basis:
5. Chronology of EU-Western Balkans relations (1999-2013)
1999
26 May 1999 The Commission Communication [COM (1999) 235 final] sets out the main principles of the Stabilisation and Association Proc-ess (SAP) for the countries of South-Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania). The SAP develops further the Regional Approach, which was established in 1996 to support the implementation of the Dayton/Paris and Er-dut peace agreements and the promotion of political stability and economic prosperity in the region.
10 June 1999 The adoption of the resolution 1244 by the UN Security Council marks the end of NATO intervention and establishes also the Unit-ed Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Initiated by the EU, the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe is adopted in Cologne in cooperation with the international com-munity. The Stability Pact aims at ensuring long-term conflict pre-vention and peace-building through the promotion of democracy, human rights, economic and social development, regional security and cooperation in South Eastern Europe. It also supports the in-tegration of the SEE countries into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
2000
19-20 June 2000 The Feira European Council affirms that the countries participat-ing in the SAP have a European perspective and are ‘potential can-didates’ for EU membership.
24 November 2000 This message is further reinforced at the Zagreb Summit, which brings together the EU member states and the Western Balkan countries for the first time. The Summit confirms also that the
regional and country-specific aspects, is at the heart of the Union’s policy towards the five countries of South-Eastern Europe.
5 December 2000 The new CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction, De-velopment and Stabilisation) programme provides assistance to the countries of South-Eastern Europe participating in the SAP for the period 2000-2006.
2001
9 April 2001 FYROM signs the SAA.
13 August 2001 The Ohrid Framework Agreement is signed between FYROM and ethnic Albanian representatives. This peace agreement marks the end of the conflict between the National Liberation Army and the Macedonian security forces.
29 October 2001 Croatia signs the SAA.
2002
28 February 2002 First meeting of the Convention on the Future of Europe under the presidency of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
12-13 The Copenhagen European Council reaffirms the European December 2002 perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans.
2003
1 January 2003 Greece takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The EU launches the first CSDP mission: the European Union Po-lice Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1 February 2003 The Nice Treaty enters into force.
21 February 2003 Croatia submits its application for EU membership.
annexes
31 March 2003 The first-ever military operation undertaken by the EU, EUFOR Concordia, is launched in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedo-nia under the ‘Berlin Plus’ agreement.
16 April 2003 Signature of the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Cy-prus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in Athens.
2 June 2003 The Western Balkans countries convene a meeting in Ohrid in or-der to prepare the Thessaloniki Summit.
19 -20 June 2003 The Thessaloniki European Council endorses the ‘The Thessaloniki agenda for the Western Balkans: Moving towards European integration’, which was included in the annex of the Council conclusions of 16 June 2003. The Stabilisation and Association Process is confirmed as the EU’s framework for the Western Balkans and is enriched by elements drawing from the experience of the eastern enlargement.
21 June 2003 EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki. The Heads of State and Government of the EU member states and the leaders of the Western Balkans adopt the Thessaloniki Declaration and Agenda.
18 July 2003 Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, chairman of the Convention on the Fu-ture of Europe, officially hands over the Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
12 December 2003 The Brussels European Council adopts the European Security Strategy.
15 December 2003 Completion of Operation Concordia and launch of the EU police mission, EUPOL Proxima, in FYROM.
2004
22 March 2004 FYROM submits its application for EU membership.
20 April 2004 The Commission submits its positive Opinion on Croatia’s appli-cation for EU membership.
1 May 2004 Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join the EU (entry into force of the Treaty of Athens)
17-18 June 2004 Croatia is granted the status of ‘candidate country’ for EU mem-bership.
2 December 2004 The EU launches the military operation EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the ‘Berlin-Plus’ agreement.
2005
25 April 2005 Signature of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania in Luxembourg.
3 October 2005 After having demonstrated its full cooperation with the ICTY, Croatia officially starts the accession negotiations.
Accession negotiations are also opened with Turkey.
9 November 2005 The Commission submits its Opinion on FYROM’s application for EU membership.
14 December 2005 Completion of the police mission EUPOL Proxima in FYROM.
15 December 2005 The EU launches an EU Police Advisory Team (EUPAT) in FY-ROM.
15-16 FYROM is granted the status of ‘candidate country’ for EU December 2005 membership.
2006
3 June 2006 As a result of the referendum held in May 2006, Montenegro de-clares its independence.
12 June 2006 Albania signs the SAA.
14 June 2006 Completion of the mandate of the EU Police Advisory Team (EUPAT) in FYROM.
annexes
14-15 The European Council renews its consensus on enlargement. The December 2006 EU’s re-affirms ‘that the future of the Western Balkans lies in the
European Union’ and restates that ‘each country’s progress to-wards the European Union depends on its individual efforts to comply with the Copenhagen criteria and the conditionality of the Stabilisation and Association Process’.
2007
1 January 2007 Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.
Entry into force of the new Instrument for Pre-Accession Assist-ance (IPA) for the period 2007-2013.
15 October 2007 Montenegro signs the SAA.
2008
16 February 2008 The Council decides to launch the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo.
17 February 2008 Kosovo declares unilaterally its independence from Serbia.
27 February 2008 The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) replaces the Stabil-ity Pact for South-Eastern Europe and offers a regionally owned framework for cooperation.
29 April 2008 Serbia signs the SAA.
16 June 2008 Bosnia and Herzegovina signs the SAA.
21 July 2008 Serbian authorities announce that Radovan Karadžić has been ar-rested in Belgrade and transferred to the ICTY.
15 December 2008 Montenegro submits its application for EU membership.
2009
1 December 2009 The Lisbon Treaty enters into force.
19 December 2009 Visa free-regime applies to citizens of FYROM, Montenegro and Serbia. The holders of a biometric passport issued by each of these countries are allowed to travel to and throughout the Schengen area without visas.
22 December 2009 Serbia submits its application for EU membership.
2010
2 June 2010 Organised by the Spanish Presidency of the EU, the EU-Western Balkans ministerial meeting in Sarajevo marks the 10th anniversary of the Zagreb Summit. The European Council clearly re-affirms its unequivocal commitment to the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries and confirms their future lies in the Eu-ropean Union.
22 July 2010 The International Court of Justice issues an advisory opinion on the declaration of independence of Kosovo.
9 November 2010 The Commission submits its Opinion on the applications of Alba-nia and Montenegro for EU membership.
15 December 2010 Visa-free regime applies to citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The holders of biometric passports issued by these two countries are exempt of visa requirements when travelling to and throughout the Schengen area.
16-17 Montenegro is granted the status of ‘candidate country’ for EU December 2010 membership.
2011
26 May 2011 Ratko Mladić, one of the fugitives indicted by the ICTY, is arrested in Serbia.
30 June 2011 Accession negotiations with Croatia are closed.
annexes
20 July 2011 Goran Hadžić, the last remaining fugitive indicted by the ICTY, is arrested by Serbian authorities.
12 October 2011 The Commission submits its Opinion on Serbia’s application for EU membership.
9 December 2011 Croatia signs the Accession Treaty with the EU.
2012
1-2 March 2012 Serbia is granted the status of ‘candidate country’ for member-ship.
9 March 2012 The Croatian Parliament ratifies the Accession Treaty following the referendum held on 22 January 2012 in which 66.27% of the Croatian participants voted in favour of Croatia’s accession.
29 March 2012 The European Commission launches a High Level Accession Dia-logue with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in order to accelerate reforms in a number of key policy areas.
14 June 2012 The European Commission delivers the visa liberalisation road-map to the Kosovo government.
27 June 2012 The EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina hold the first meeting of the High Level Dialogue on the Accession Process, which aims at facili-tating the preparations for submitting its EU application.
29 June 2012 Opening of the accession negotiations with Montenegro. The Com-mission applies for the first time its new approach which consists in opening the negotiating chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) early on in the acces-sion process and closing them at the end.
30 June 2012 Completion of the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
10 October 2012 The Commission recommends that Albania be granted the status of ‘candidate country’, subject to completion of measures in key
The Commission issues its Feasibility Study for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Kosovo.
19 October 2012 Beginning of the High-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia facilitated by the HR/VP Ashton.
2013
19 April 2013 The ‘First agreement of principles governing the normalisation of relations’ is initialled by the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kos-ovo.
1 July 2013 Foreseen date for Croatia’s accession.
31 December 2013 Expiry date of the IPA I.