Corruption a big obstacle to Albania’s integration steps

TIRANA, Dec. 15 – The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Robert Bosch and Xhelal Mziu, the Mayor of Kamza, a small town just outside Tirana, signed an agreement that marks the start of an anti-corruption project.
The project, which aims to strengthen the role of civil society in the fight against corruption in local government structures and systems, is co-funded by the Delegation of the European Union and the Dutch Embassy.
The project, which promotes good governance principles, will be implemented in five small municipalities across the country – Kamza, Shijak, Lac, Permet and Corovoda.
Bosch said clearly that petty corruption and the high-risk political type was a main obstacle hindering the country’s integration efforts into the European Union.
He also called on the political parties to sit down and resolve their disagreements. It takes two to tango, he said, meaning that the country’s future and important reforms need both the government and also the opposition to coordinate efforts for the country.
Dutch Ambassador Henk G.C. van den Dool was harsher in his warning that with such prevalent corruption Albania should forget membership into the bloc. He said that none would accept the country to become a member if it didn’t fight corruption.