By Ardit Azizaj
Contrasting successes shows that regional cooperation holds the key to European integration
In 1990, a “new dawn” begun in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The events that took place a year previously would entirely change the course of European history and mark new developments on the continent. During 1989 there was a sudden change of the regimes in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). However, the same cannot be said for Albania, because the changes and the transition to democracy would come about a couple of years later.
The communism systems in CEE crumpled through revolutions and negotiations. Moreover, at the time when they took place it was least expected in Western Europe. It was believed that communism was rooted deep inside in CEEC and it would be difficult to bring about change
After almost 40 years of divisions, the fall of the wall on Nov 9 1989 created the opportunity for the German citizens to re-unify. Mass protests that happened in autumn and the emigration to Western Germany brought an end to the communist regime in Eastern Germany. This event formally symbolized the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Block as well as the reunification of Germany, which in reality took place a year after, on Oct 3 1990
The events that were taking place in East Germany and Poland had a domino effect throughout other CEEC. Despite the late reaction of the Albanian citizens towards the Communist regime in the country, the spillover effect that the revolutions of the 1989 had in all CEEC could not leave Albania out. The fall of the Berlin wall and the rapid changes that followed in CEEC would bring Albanian isolation to an end.
After the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, all the countries had one common objective, European Integration. Now, this week as some European countries celebrate 20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall, the majority of the CEEC are now part of the EU. At the same time the integration of CEEC to the EU differs from country to country. Nevertheless, the integration process and the unification of Europe, following the removal of the iron curtain, have not been completed yet, because the Western Balkans is still not part of the Union.
It had been easier for Eastern Germany to integrate into the EU, because of its reunification with FRG a founding member of the Union. Furthermore, even the transition period and the collapse of the communism in the Eastern Germany had been easier if it is compared to the other CEEC. When the East Germans were leaving the country, citizenship was given from the FRG and also many other benefits and working options. Whereas, for the other part of the CEE citizens, emigration was a dangerous act to be carried out and they were not having the same support by the Western European states if it is compared to what the East Germans had.
However, the other CEECs found their own ways of integration. The countries of Central Europe, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, established the Visegrad group, in order to strengthen their regional cooperation before joining the EU. Since the ultimate goal of all these countries was EU membership, “they all worked together in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration”. This cooperation consisted of various forms of contacts including high-level political summits to cultural ones. In the end, their aim was successfully achieved when all these countries became EU member-states in May 2004.
Similarly, the Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, established their regional cooperation institutions such as the Baltic Assembly. Their regional cooperation consisted of a great number of interactions among each other such as frequent relations between the governments, parliaments and heads of states. Moreover, the economic integration of these countries should not be neglected. They could sign many agreements on free trade, elimination of trade tariffs and barriers. Finally, the cooperation in justice areas is quite remarkable regarding the boarder control policy. Likewise, the Baltic cooperation moved towards other areas such as military defense and security. Once more even these countries achieved their mutual initial aim, European integration, when together with the Visegrad group they joined the EU.
In contrast when it comes to the Western Balkans and particularly Albania, they have found it quite difficult to integrate as well as to establish regional cooperation. This is the result in part on the inability of the country to carry out efficient political and economic reforms and in part on the failure of the western Balkans to establish regional cooperation. When all the former Eastern Block was integrating after a long time of division, in the Balkans the ethnic conflicts resumed. The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the beginning of 1990s brought back the conflicts in Europe and made the Balkans again an unstable and troublesome area. In addition to ethnic wars in Yugoslavia, some other Balkan countries were faced with many economic difficulties, which led to domestic instability such as the state collapse in Albania and the economic difficulties in Bulgaria during 1997.
Until 2000, several attempts to promote regional cooperation have failed. The Royaumont Process launched in 1995 in order to support the Dayton Peace Agreement and other regional projects in the areas of social society and culture was not quite successful. Also another attempt would be the creation of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) launched by the meeting of the foreign ministers of SEE countries at the end of 1996 in Bulgaria. The reason for such a meeting was the creation of new states in the Balkans and this could be an opportunity for these countries to cooperate in the new reality in the Balkans. However, with the eruption of the war in Kosovo all these initiatives failed and the establishment of another type of more effective regional cooperation was needed.
Regional cooperation is important not only based on the previous examples of the other regions such as the Central European and the Baltic countries but also from the previous experience when some regional cooperation in the Balkans have proven themselves successful. One of them is the creation of Adriatic three (A-3), between Albania, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), who worked together towards NATO membership. This cooperation was quite successful where all the A-3 countries were technically able to join NATO, except FYROM, which failed because of its constitutional name issue with Greece.
Another successful European integration and regional cooperation example is the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP), launched by the EU in the Zagreb Summit which includes, support for economic and institutional reforms, regional cooperation and eventual membership in the EU. Hitherto, the SAP has been bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU; two countries (Croatia and FYROM) are candidate countries and other two (Albania and Montenegro) have applied for membership. Furthermore, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia are potential candidate countries and are moving towards European integration. Despite of the former conflicts and diversities, every single country of the Western Balkan has one common objective, European integration.
Therefore, working together and cooperating in their mutual objective and areas of interests would benefit both the prosperity of the western Balkans and to the whole European continent. Although two decades have passed from the fall of the iron curtain Europe is not entirely unified, and the western Balkan countries are finding it difficult to integrate.
The successful integration process of former Soviet Bloc countries and their regional cooperation such as the Baltic cooperation and the Visegrad group creation would help the countries of the Western Balkans to cooperate in solving their common problems and disputes. In addition, the governments and the peoples of the Western Balkans have their part in the integration process.
Now, 20 years since the Berlin wall fell, the Western Balkan countries need to adapt and learn to cooperate with each other and together as a region move towards the European perspective.
