Prior to applying for full membership in the EU, Kosovo sought to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, which according to the European Parliament "defines rights and obligations of both parties until the EU membership."[32] A feasibility study on the prospects for a SAA with Kosovo was launched by the European Commission in March 2012.[33][34] On 10 October 2012 the results were published. It found that there were no legal obstacles to this, as full sovereignty is not required for such an agreement, and recommended that negotiations start as soon as Kosovo had made further progress in the four areas: Rule of law, Public administration, Protection of minorities, and Trade.[35]