TIRANA, Dec. 27 – Albanians are hoping next year will bring a much-anticipated push forward in the country’s stalled EU bid.
EU senior officials have been urging the Albanian parties to cooperate and comply with the 12 requirements needed to move the bid forward, but to no avail.
The Democrats in power say the opposition Socialists did not agree to pass three laws on the judicial system and the parliament procedures. The government did not manage to convince the opposition why European integration is more important than a local government council in Fier, where the opposition has won a court case and the government refuses to implement it. The opposition says applying existing laws is more important than passing new ones.
Western diplomats in Tirana נboth the Dutch and the German ambassadors נalso made it almost clear that passing the three laws would again not be enough for the country to get the candidate status.
Drugs, corruption remain a problem
The EU is also asking for tangible results in the fight against corruption and illegal trafficking from Albania.
Albanian police have confiscated at least 12 tons of marijuana leaving the country mainly to neighbors Greece and nearby Italy. But it does not mean they have blocked everything. It is very clear that Lazarat in the south and Shkodra area in the north are places where marijuana is grown. Police efforts to destroy plants have shown to not be enough. Police have not been able to enter the Lazarat commune. And drug dealers have always been a step ahead. That is clear when one reads international reports still considering the country a place of origin for marijuana and a transit point for heroin coming from Asia.
Transparency International, the Berlin-based watchdog organization ranked Albania in 113th position out of 176 countries in 2012, down from 95th place in 2011.
All these make it clear that Albania has a long way to go before claiming any membership into the European Union, experts says.
Not taking into consideration the fact that the candidate status is only a starter step. The real victory would be opening of the membership negotiations, which seems far at this point.
EU set on its priorities
The European Commission in October, together with the annual progress report repeating the 12 key requirements to be fulfilled, suggested to the EU’s Council of Ministers to give the candidate status, but not launch the membership talks with Albania, if Tirana complied with some more requests.
“Albania should be granted EU candidate status provided it delivers key reforms in the judiciary, public administration and the functioning of parliament and tangible results in the fight against corruption and illegal trafficking,” the report notes.
European parliamentarians hailed the cooperation that the two opposing political groupings had reached since late 2011 and which resulted in joint election of the ombudsman, the passing of the laws on the electoral code and the lifting of the immunity of top officials, including lawmakers and cabinet members.
Slow progress
Albania has made slow progress with judicial reform, the independence, integrity and transparency of the judiciary, free of political interference and corruption. But the public administration is still much politicized and there has been little work or results in the fight against corruption, EU notes.
Europe has been direct, saying that the power struggle has been considered more important than the European agenda from the Albanian political players.
Next year’s parliamentary elections will be an important test of the maturity of Albanian democracy. Europe has called on all the political parties to demonstrate their commitment to a free and fair campaign and elections, which will also test the ability of all political forces to embark on a common European agenda for the country.
