Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) is a special kind of regional approach of the EU to the Western Balkan countries. For the first time Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia-Montenegro have an opportunity to become fully fledged membersof the EU. Regional approach set up in this way is characterised by its adaptability to a country-specific situation. Thus, the destiny of successful countries is not conditioned by the position of the region as a whole. On 26 May 1999 The European Commission proposed the Stabilisation and Association Process for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, FYR Macedonia and Albania. SAP was established withthe aim to strengthen the existing regional approach of the EU primarily for the aforementioned five countries of the Western Balkans. The proper way to strengthen relations with with these countries respectively is to establish a special form of contractual relations with them. Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA) were tailor-made for the countries mentioned above, bearing in mind respective specialties of each country. The deadlines for the start of SAA negotiations and the realisation of the agreement vary and differ from case to case. When these indicators are taken into account it is hard to assume the date when the Western Balkan region as whole will become a part of the EU.

Apart from a number of incentives, primarily of a financial and material nature, SAP sets out certain economic and political conditions as well. Requirements for the EU accession, which are laid out before the Central and Eastern European countries, are laid out before the Western Balkan countries as well. These requirements are also known as the Copenhagen Criteria, defined by the European Council at the Copenhagen summit in 1993, regulated in Articles 6 and 49 of the EU Agreement. According to the Copenhagen Criteria, Western Balkan countries have to direct their political, economic and institutional development towards the values and models tha the EU is based on and they are: democracy, human rights and market economy. Later on, full cooperation with the International Tribunal in the Hague as well as creating real opportunities for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons were added to the mentioned criteria for the EU accession. One of the most important political conditions is intensified cooperation among all the countries in the region on the EU model. Instruments that the EU Commission uses in monitoring the progress made in the mentioned areas are Annual Reports of the Commission for each country, Regional Report, as well as a new mechanism - the European Partnership - based on the accession partnership and designed for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.