TIRANA, June 12 – Albanian authorities celebrated on Tuesday the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union one year ago.
A conference called, “A year after signing the SAA: realities and challenges” brought together officials from the executive, lawmakers and western ambassadors.
Albanian signed the SAA with the EU on June 12, 2006, which is considered a first step toward integration into the bloc, though it has set no clear date for membership.
Meanwhile, the SAA has been ratified by 12 EU member countries and needs to be ratified by all of them before continuing to other stages in the process.
Albania has already started to apply an interim agreement with the EU and should undergo deep reforms in all the government sectors in order to achieve standards required by the bloc.
Important dates in Albania’s EU integration
Albania established diplomatic ties with EU in 1991.
On May 11, 1992 it signed the Agreement of Economic and Trade Cooperation and the joint statement on political dialogue that came into force in Dec. 1, 1992.
In May 1999 the EU started to apply a new Stabilization and Association Process with five western Balkan countries, including Albania.
Official talks on the SAA started Jan. 31, 2003.
First round of negotiations held Feb. 13, 2003.
Albania and EU held seven political rounds and eleven technical rounds of negotiations.
The SAA was signed June 12, 2006 in Luxembourg.
The EU’s 27 member countries must ratify it within three years.
The SAA is made up of four pillars:
Political dialogue and regional cooperation;
Commercial reforms and the progressive liberalization of commercial exchange until achieving a free trade zone;
Community freedom; and
Cooperation in areas of priority such as the judiciary and internal affairs.
Albania should fulfill the criteria of the European Council meeting in Copenhagen in June 1993, which are of political and economic character. It asks for setting democratic standards, rule of law, respect of human rights and the establishment of a market economy
Albania should then be ready to cope with acquis communitaire, or the EU legislation.
