Abstract The role of the European Union (EU) trade liberalisation with the four Western Balkan countres — namely Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, and Macedonia — is overestimated, as major benefits could be expected mainly from institutional reforms rather than trade creation and economic perspective due to low economic development and a lack of comparative advantages in these countries1. The core issue to be addressed in this article is whether these firms can exploit the opportunities arising from the EU integration process. The aim of this article is to confirm the hypothesis that the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and trade agreements in the Western Balkans are not sufficient pre-conditions for successful performance and increase of exports by local firms; the main focus should be on the internal performance of firms. The paper analyses and compares the data collected by surveys conducted with local firms in Kosovo in order to measure the impact of the SAA. Finally, the article suggests that in the short and medium run the SAA could support and improve the quality of products, technical standards, and firm competitiveness as a pre-condition for better access to the EU market in the long run.

中文翻译：

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欧盟《西巴尔干稳定与联系协定》：挑战与机遇之间

摘要欧盟对西巴尔干四个县（科索沃，黑山，阿尔巴尼亚和马其顿）的贸易自由化的作用被高估了，因为主要的利益可能主要来自体制改革，而不是预期的贸易创造和经济角度这些国家的经济发展缓慢和缺乏比较优势1。本文要解决的核心问题是这些公司是否可以利用欧盟一体化进程中产生的机会。本文的目的是确认以下假设：西巴尔干地区的稳定与结盟协议（SAA）和贸易协议不足以成为成功实现本地公司业绩和增加出口的前提条件；主要重点应放在公司的内部绩效上。该文件分析并比较了与科索沃当地公司进行的调查收集的数据，以衡量SAA的影响。最后，该文章建议，从短期和中期来看，SAA可以支持并改善产品质量，技术标准和企业竞争力，这是从长远角度更好地进入欧盟市场的前提。