Albania set to ask for EU candidate status

TIRANA, March 10 – Albanian authorities continue to insist that Tirana intends to apply for the candidate status at the European Union, despite increasing voices from Brussels it is not the appropriate timing.
In an interview this week to an international news agency Prime Minister Sali Berisha also warned the EU members of the consequences that could arise with halting Albania’s candidature.
Berisha warned the European Union countries of the consequences that could arise if the Albanian candidature is slowed down, mentioning before all the fall of public support for EU membership that is currently 96 percent.
Albania intends on handing in the candidature request for membership in the European Union by the end of June, Berisha told the AFP.
“Albania has received a green light “in principle” from the Czech presidency of the European Union, to hand in their request for membership” said the Albanian premier, adding that the date for that has not been determined yet.
“We agreed on filing the request” he said.
The European Commission considers that a condition for the candidature is the normal procedure of parliamentary elections being carried out.
The global financial crisis has been a good reason for Brussels to urge Albania to postpone its application for EU candidate status.
The representatives of the Troika — the past, current and future EU presidency holders – have said the crisis has created “an unfriendly climate” for the country’s EU bid. Tirana planned to submit its application by June.
The global economic crisis is affecting the EUճ general enthusiasm for admitting new members from the Balkans as faced with recession, people are growing more cautious.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said Tuesday in an interview to Gazeta Shqiptare that Albania should not rush for that application, urging Tirana to be cautious in choosing the moment of application.
She said that Tirana would be wise in choosing to postpone its request at this moment. “It is more important that Albania coordinates with the EU Czech Presidency that is heading the bloc for the first six months this year,” she said.
Nagy said that Albania’s results to comply with all its obligations based on the SAA, including forecast on trade, are a fundamental element for EU when considering the application.
But she also said that holding of the June 28 parliamentary elections in line with international standards is a fundamental condition for the progress toward the EU.
“EU is a democratic union of countries. Holding of free and fair elections is a key criterion for any democracy. What the authorities can do now is to ensure that the preparation and holding of the elections will be in line with all international standards,” Nagy said.
European leaders have hinted that it would not be appropriate to apply for that deal at this moment of crisis when many countries of the bloc, especially the big and the main ones, are very reluctant to accept more new members from Eastern Europe. They also fear they have to cope with the effects of the global crisis in these countries, which are poorer than those of the Western Europe.
Albania signed with the EU the Stabilization and Association Agreement in June 2006, a pre-membership deal which has been ratified by all EU member countries.
Basha was also very optimistic saying that Albania would become a full EU member by 2014, though he acknowledged there could be surprise development that could speed up or slow down the process.