Opposition Socialists accuse government for failure in visa liberalization

TIRANA, Auf 10 – The main opposition Socialist Party accused the Democratic Party government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha for being incapable to make the necessary reforms and take the country into the visa-free regime with the European Union member countries.
The EU decided last month that only the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Montenegro and Serbia will enjoy that right starting Jan. 1 next year while Albania and Bosnia have to complete other requirements based on their road map.
Berisha has made it repeatedly clear hat a visa-free regime for the Albanians is the primary focus of his work and had pledged that will be achieved during the first year of his second mandate.
That means sometime September next year. The EU has said they will reconsider Albania’s and Bosnia’s request next summer to see if hey have accomplished the requests, which for Albania seem to be border management and issuing of biometric passports.
Taulant Balla of the Socialists referred to a statement of the Swedish presidency that Albania did not profit from the new regime due to the lack of the proper reforms and also the holding of the June 28 parliamentary election.
Balla said Albanians will continue to pay the price due to the incapable government. Socialists also had pledged they would take the country to a visa-free regime during the first year of their mandate. They did not win and now it is up to Berisha to form the new cabinet, something expected in early September.
Balla also said that while in opposition they will exploit all the tools in parliament to monitor the way the government will further try o accomplish the reforms for the new visa free regime.
Sweden, which holds the EU rotating presidency the second half of this year, has made it clear they are interested in EU enlargement and keeping its doors open. But naturally everything depends on each country that will make the reforms to achieve the required standards.
European officials have made it clear to Albania that visa liberalization is not a gift. It has to do so with the protection of the Schengen area and each country should accomplish what it should to achieve those standards.