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Challenges of EU Integration and Collective Security in Kosovo: Looking beyond the Free Trade Agreements

Summary: 1. Introduction. – 2. Methodology. – 3. Literature Review. – 3.1. Free Trade Agreements in Western Balkans. – 3.2. Regional cooperation and integration in Western Balkans. – 3.3. Trade liberalization. – 3.4. Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA 2006). – 4. Results and Discussion. – 5. Conclusion.

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Background: Collective security is among the main principles guiding today’s international law. This is particularly relevant for a country like Kosovo, whose statehood is contested by several countries, including Serbia, which has violated collective security through various actions. The primary purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of collective security on Kosovo's integration into the EU, particularly in relation to the implementation and progress of free trade agreements with the EU, such as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

Methods: This paper employs a systematic review of theoretical studies and research. Several sources of theoretical literature regarding Kosovo's EU integration, free trade agreements, regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, and the Stability Pact have been reviewed, and based on this evidence, conclusions have been formulated.

Results and Conclusions: The paper's relevance lies in the fact that it addresses issues of security, economic, political and legal nature. There is a noticeable lack of theoretical evidence on this topic within the Kosovar academic world. Therefore, this paper is particularly relevant, as it integrates these fields. The study of European integration and the effects of free trade agreements in post-conflict countries is of particular importance for countries like Kosovo and other Western Balkan states.

Abstract

 

Background: Collective security is among the main principles guiding today’s international law. This is particularly relevant for a country like Kosovo, whose statehood is contested by several countries, including Serbia, which has violated collective security through various actions. The primary purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of collective security on Kosovo's integration into the EU, particularly in relation to the implementation and progress of free trade agreements with the EU, such as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

Methods: This paper employs a systematic review of theoretical studies and research. Several sources of theoretical literature regarding Kosovo's EU integration, free trade agreements, regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, and the Stability Pact have been reviewed, and based on this evidence, conclusions have been formulated.

Results and Conclusions: The paper's relevance lies in the fact that it addresses issues of security, economic, political and legal nature. There is a noticeable lack of theoretical evidence on this topic within the Kosovar academic world. Therefore, this paper is particularly relevant, as it integrates these fields. The study of European integration and the effects of free trade agreements in post-conflict countries is of particular importance for countries like Kosovo and other Western Balkan states.

About Authors

 

Ilir Zylfiu

Assistant professor, Faculty of Political Sciences, University for Business and Technology UBT, Prishtina, Kosovo.

ilir.zylfiu@ubt-uni.net

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6506-5938

 

Co-author, responsible for writing, conceptualization, investigation, data curation, formal analysis,methodology, Writing – original draft,  resources, software, project administration, funding acquisition, and supervision. 

 

Dukagjin Leka*

Vice-Rector for International Affairs, “Kadri Zeka” University, Gjilan, Kosovo.

dukagjin.leka@uni-gjilan.net

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4228-4828

 

Corresponding author, responsible for writing, conceptualization, data curation, Writing – review & editing, validation, visualization, funding acquisition, and methodology.

 

Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed. 

Disclaimer: The authors declare that their opinion and views expressed in this manuscript are free of any impact of any organizations.

 

Copyright: © 2025 Ilir Zylfiu, Dukagjin Leka. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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  АНОТАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ

 

Оглядова стаття

 

ВИКЛИКИ ІНТЕГРАЦІЇ ДО ЄС ТА КОЛЕКТИВНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В КОСОВІ: ПОГЛЯД ЗА МЕЖІ УГОД ПРО ВІЛЬНУ ТОРГІВЛЮ

 

Ілір Зилфіу та Дукаджин Лека*

 

АНОТАЦІЯ

Вступ. Колективна безпека є одним з основних принципів, якими керується сучасне міжнародне право. Це особливо актуально для такої країни, як Косово, державність якої оспорюється кількома країнами, зокрема Сербією, яка порушила колективну безпеку різними діями. Основною метою цієї статті є аналіз впливу колективної безпеки на інтеграцію Косова до ЄС, особливо, що стосується впровадження та прогресу угод про вільну торгівлю з ЄС, таких як Угода про стабілізацію та асоціацію (УСА) та Центральноєвропейська асоціаціявільної торгівлі (ЦЄАВТ).

Методи. У цій статті використовується систематичний огляд теоретичних досліджень та наукових праць. Було проаналізовано кілька джерел теоретичної літератури стосовно інтеграції Косова до ЄС, угоди про вільну торгівлю, регіональне співробітництво на Західних Балканах та Пакт стабільності, і на основі цих даних було сформульовано висновки.

Результати та висновки. Актуальність статті полягає в тому, що в ній розглядаються питання безпеки, економіки, політики та правового характеру. У академічному світі Косова помітний брак теоретичних даних із цієї теми. Тому ця робота є особливо актуальною, оскільки вона об’єднує ці галузі. Дослідження європейської інтеграції та наслідків угод про вільну торгівлю в постконфліктних країнах має особливе значення для таких країн, як Косово, та для інших держав Західних Балкан.

Ключові слова: лібералізація торгівлі, регіональне співробітництво, Західні Балкани, фінансова допомога.

Keywords

  • Trade liberalisation, regional cooperation, Western Balkans, financial assistance

Publication history

  •  

    Date of submission: 29 Dec 2024

    Date of acceptance: 22 Apr 2025

    Online First publication: 18 Jun 2025

    Whether the manuscript was fast tracked? - No 

    Number of reviewer report submitted in first round: 2 reports 

    Number of revision rounds: 1 round with major revisions 

     

    Technical tools were used in the editorial process:

    Plagiarism checks - Turnitin from iThenticate https://www.turnitin.com/products/ithenticate/ Scholastica for Peer Review https://scholasticahq.com/law-reviews

How to cite it?

  •  
    Zylfiu I and Leka D, ‘Challenges of EU Integration and Collective Security in Kosovo: Looking beyond the Free Trade Agreements’ (2025) 8(3) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe <    https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-8.3-r000107> Published Online 18 June 2025


    Managing editor – Mag. Bohdana Zahrebelna. English Editor – Julie Bold. Section Editor – Dr. Harun Halilovic. Ukrainian language editor: Lilia Hartman.