Brussels is considering the country’s political stalemate as largely overcome through the adoption of electoral and parliamentary reforms.
TIRANA, Sep. 27 – There are growing indications Albania is likely to become an official candidate for the European Union membership before the end of 2012.
Both the opposition and government leaders have indicated they have been told by EU officials that would be the case and EU’s top officials have publicly noted Albania has made clear progress. Socialist Party leader Edi Rama said Albania will and should receive the status. He made the comment after his return from Brussels where he met with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule. Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic Party hinted the same at a meeting the next day.
In addition, the top Italian news agency, Ansa, published an article based on a document it had received from the EU Commission indicating the status would be approved. The report, or the annual progress report, is to be made public Oct. 10. That is also to be officially approved, or formalized, at the EU Council of Ministers meeting in December.
Highest EU officials: Albania has made progress
In public appearances with Albanian President Bujar Nishani earlier this month, EU’s top officials said they recognized Albania’s progress. Head of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said there had been progress and that Albania needs to focus on strengthening the rule of law, fight against corruption and organized crime and independence of the judiciary
“Let me be very clear, Albania is making progress, and I believe that Albania’s progress in 2012 is real, and that the candidate status is achievable. It is now in your hands, with our help, to do what is needed to move Albania forward in its path of integration,” said Mr. Barroso
Getting the candidate status would be considered Albania’s greatest Euro-Atlantic integration success after becoming a NATO member in 2009. Albania had applied for the EU candidate status the same year but received two negative responses basically because of the ever-conflicting political situation in the country.
This time it is believed that Brussels has considered that the country’s political stalemate has been largely overcome by the adoption of the electoral and parliamentary reforms.
The two main political parties נgoverning Democrats and opposition Socialist נagreed in July for the electoral reform and in September for the law on lifting the immunity on lawmakers and senior officials.
Brussels is also satisfied with Tirana that has made substantial work regarding its 12 key priorities set by the European Commission to obtain the status of candidate country and the opening of accession negotiations.
Key law still being fought over
Despite the good news from Brussels, Albanian political leaders had many other things to focus on. The two main political parties had to agree on the draft law on the Supreme Court judges which affects many other areas in the judiciary. They did not agree and that is one of the key elements for the reforms required from the EU.
Immediately Democrat lawmakers blamed the opposition Socialists for trying to block the country’s progress into the union.
The opposition accused the government instead. This week it concluded that the government had misused in the last years some $14 million for advertisement in different ministries. It not only accused the government for spending these money in vain at a time when the country needs so much cash in all the areas, but also said that the authorities had focused most of the money only on a few pro-government media outlets and sidelining all the others, despite the laws.
They also added that another unknown amount has also been spent from the Berisha’s office for which they had no data.
Political focus on elections
Some analysts believe the officials candidate status will be given on conditions that the elections of 2013 are certified as completely free an fair.
Both main political groupings have, in practice, launched their electoral campaign for next year’s polls. For the moment, and probably due to the opposition interests at this time, they have directed their campaign on the economy. While the opposition says the country is in deep economic crisis blaming the government, which, on its side, says the country is blooming.
There has been good development in the electoral process too. Though the legal deadline was far from over, the main political groupings nominated their representatives, two each, for the Central Election Commission, or CEC and two others from minor political parties. That is something they needed to do, reshuffle the CEC, because of the electoral new law. The CEC is the electoral government and one which has been a main source of mistrust or conflict in the last elections.
With these steps it is very likely it will be constituted, as required, next month.
The CEC chairman is likely to be elected next month and it is said there are more than a dozen candidates coming from all the sides. Ideally the next chairman should be a bipartisan personality as the outgoing one has been largely blamed for being very pro-Democratic Party one.
Next parliamentary elections are expected in June 2013. The president has time until Dec. 7 to set the election date, which is usually the last Sunday in June.
Albania has suffered a long and tumultuous transition to democracy since it emerged from the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha in 1990. No elections held since the collapse of the regime have met international standards and allegations of fraud and disputed results have been widespread.
Status aimed at pushing reforms
Europe is continually stressing to Albania they should show the good political will and concrete steps they want to become a member. There have also been different options offered for the country’s candidate status.
It is very much believed that the status is given to Albania as a push towards reforms. Albania may have committed all its resources to comply with the 12 key priorities. But in practice it does not comply with the first one נpolitical compromise on major reforms. That may explain the different alternatives to the candidate status.
The European leftist parliamentary head Hannes Swoboda said, in an interview to a local private television station, that while the Commission may give the okay to the candidate status but it is very much up to the Europe’s Council of Ministers that will give the real okay in December. That means that all foreign ministers in the 27-EU member countries should be convinced that Tirana has done the good work they had asked for. Swoboda also said that the status may be conditional, that is, it will come into power only after Albania holds free and fair elections.
Europe and the United States have made clear that they will keep a close eye on the next year’s elections. Those have been words heard other times and Albania has never been fully complying with the pledge to have free and fair elections.
Tirana may be easily kicked out of EU ranks if elections go wrong. Even the candidate status is not real membership. That process is very long and Europe for sure will be very strict in all the requirements.
