Hoffman: Germany committed to EU’s enlargement in the Balkans
TIRANA, Feb. 14 – – Germany is committed to EU enlargement in the Balkans, and it supports Albania in its EU integration path, German Ambassador to Albania Hellmut Hoffman said Thursday at a foreign policy forum organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies.
The ambassador said the region is vital for Europe, and the Western Balkans should look forward to a better future, despite its conflict-riddled past. The ambassador made his remarks at the first in a series of similar forums AIIS will organize this year, offering a German perspective on EU enlargement.
There has been increased interest in Albania on the fate of the country’s EU membership bid, following the decision of the EU Council to postpone until June the decision on granting Albania candidate country status, something Albania expected to get last December.
“My advice to our Albanian friends is this: Do not go down the road of endlessly agonizing, speculating and complaining about the fact that the European Council last December has not felt that the time had come to say ‘Yes’ to the candidate status,” Hoffman said. “For one thing: much of the speculation about alleged reasons for this was in my mind pretty much off the mark – sometimes the truth is rather simple: I know people who took the not so difficult to comprehend view that they would like to watch a bit longer how the transition worked out in Albania after the roles were reversed between majority and minority and how the new government and the new opposition would go about their respective businesses.”
The Foreign Policy Forum has turned into a tradition for AIIS, marking a decade in 2013, as noted by Deputy Director Alba ȥla in her opening remarks. The aim of this series of forums is to give the opportunity to different personalities to discuss current developments concerning the country, on a wide array of issues and topics.
In his welcoming speech, AIIS Executive Director Albert Rakipi acknowledged the importance of the European perspective in the Balkan region, mentioning its role in encouraging the reconciliation process between Kosovo and Serbia, as one of its main achievements in the region. Furthermore, it has served as a driving force in Albania in the transformation process of the state and society as a whole, preparing it for future integration, he said.
Ambassador Hoffman looked back in history at the beginning of the last century with a few remarks on World War I and II. He acknowledged the importance of the Balkan region as a key factor in the history of Europe. Although for half a century the Balkans was divided from the Western Europe, the last twenty years have been of critical importance in the transformation of these societies, he said.
He also mentioned the roles of organizations such as OSCE, NATO, Council of Europe and last but not least the EU, which are based on common and shared values and interests, with the end goal of bringing peace and prosperity in the region.
After two decades of post-conflict, Germany has an interest in free, stable and prosperous states in the Balkans, he said.
Coming back to Albania, he observed that this is a special, but tragic case of isolation from the world, however a new order has emerged in the last twenty years, and remembering the past is important but,
He added that shouldn’t prevent people from looking into the future and the perspective. According to him, people tend to forget about the past and, in this context we need to be fully aware of the tremendous progress Albania has made in the recent decades. The economic growth has been enormous, however, on the downside it has also been chaotic, something that has damaged the tourism industry in the country. For this, one need only look around to understand.
Positive developments are not limited to economic growth, however. Ambassador Hoffman identified two other areas where Albania has achieved remarkable progress and it needs to focus, in order to further its integration agenda.
He said Albania has played a constructive role in the region over the last decades and, should continue to do so. He also stressed that “one needs to highlight is the remarkably peaceful and relaxed way in which religious groups live together in Albania. You need not go very far from here to see on a daily basis that this is by no means a matter of course.”
He added that Germany was happy to see recent positive steps undertaken by the new government, adding that moving from words to action was key.
On the subject of EU enlargement, he said it is wrong to say that EU enlargement has finished, but it is true that the enlargement policy is becoming difficult and there is certainly an enlargement fatigue. Therefore, the process of enlargement is more challenging and demanding.
Though the ambassador did not speak directly in reference to Albanian analysts who have viewed the latest EU rejection as linked to a rise in right-wing, anti-EU parties in Europe and certain fringe segments of European politicians, who advancing their agenda, ignore the country’s secular, agnostic outlook, and push perceptions of Albania as a Muslim country, and as such inherently non-European.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that speculations in Albania “have been off the mark” regarding the possible reasons why the candidate status was postponed.
Mr. Hoffman identified several issues the country needs to work on, to go further in its reforms and modernization. There is a need for a new political culture, according to him, with less polarization and this is a matter for the government and the opposition.
He added the German vision is that the Balkan region should become part of the European sphere of shared values and interests and, the candidate status is only one step among others to come, in the integration process.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Rakipi, once again identified the need to encourage a critical approach on the integration process and this critical approach should be taken by opinion and decision makers as well as the society as a whole, a society where the level of support for the EU stands at an overwhelming 87 percent.
The event attracted considerable media attention and was attended by several other top diplomats, members of parliament, ministries, civil society representatives, university professors and students. The diverse audience was a key aspect of the lively discussion, following the keynote speech.
