Albania’s EU Prospects In Their Eyes – Depressive

TIRANA, June 4 – Brussels delivered the roadmap for the visa liberalization procedure to Albanian authorities this week. Then, the Albanian opposition calls on the government to make the formal request for EU candidate country status. Finally, all politicians mention that NATO’s membership invitation is a solid step towards membership into the European Union.
But what’s the reality? Will Albania be a EU member soon?
Absolutely not.
Reading the latest issue of The Economist magazine, that published a package of stories on EU enlargement, does not give rise to support for EU membership for Albania.
The magazine’s report argued that enlargement had been a force for good for the European Union, not only for the new member countries. The report argued that enlargement came at an important time for Europe.
Good, that’s great, and stirs hope in the tiny Balkan country.
But what comes next?
The last item in the report, “How many more?” gives Albanians reason to be depressed.
It outlines how Poland is, “a tireless advocate for Ukraine,” while “Croatia is not really ready to join, if only because of organized crime, but the EU wants to stabilize the western Balkans, so it will get in around 2010. For the same reason, everyone wants to encourage Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania to remain on the path towards membership (Albania is going to take a while).”
You see? “Albania is going to take a while,” it says and this is, perhaps, the largest and most influential magazine in the world.
Why? When will this country really become part of this Europe? Does it really mean that its administration is far more backward compared to, say, Romania, which is mentioned as a bad guy so often in the report? Does it mean that Albania politics is different from any other in the region, or worse? Does it mean that it doesn’t matter if violence mars Macedonia’s elections, yet it still might be invited to join the bloc?
Why?
The Economist goes on to say that Serbia would be the next candidate if it chooses to remain on the democratic path or, in other words, if they decide to accept Kosova, hand over war criminals and keep pro-European forces running the government.
The only country supporting Albania seems to be Turkey, that appears to be because of its religious background, rather than its economy or management.