Economic priorities are surpassed by election concerns in EU-Albania talks

TIRANA, Dec. 12 – Albania held the first days of the week, Dec. 11-12, a round of negotiations with the European Commission, the first in the country after the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement in June. That was the 15th meeting of the Consultative Task Force and the 9th meeting of the Joint Committee between the EU and Albania, according to the EC delegation and the Albanian Ministry of Integration. These meetings allowed the Commission and the Albanian authorities to engage in fruitful discussion on issues including election preparations and reform in the fields of rule of law, fiscal policy, infrastructure, environment, agriculture and fisheries, according to an EC statement. The talks focused in particular on Albania’s obligations under the SAA.
Albania launched Dec. 1 the interim agreement with the EC which would lower customs tariffs for hundreds of goods imported from the European Union member countries. “The EU Presidency and the Commission welcomed the entry into force of the Interim Agreement on 1 December. The Interim Agreement and the SAA provide a comprehensive framework for the further development of EU-Albania relations,” said the statement. The Albanian authorities agreed with the Commission that strengthening the rule of law is a key underlying factor for Albania’s further development. The Commission welcomed Albania’s progress in fighting corruption and organized crime and encouraged Albania to sustain its efforts. It called on Albania in particular to further pursue judicial reform, to adopt further systemic measures to fight corruption, and to strengthen its efforts to fight money laundering and to protect witnesses. The political clash in the country was a major topic of discussion in the talks. The boycott of the opposition parties for the Jan. 20 local elections will turn into a main topic for the country in the near future. Europe warned Albanian politicians they should bear responsibility for the domestic problems and not wait for the international factor’s interference to resolve their disputes. “The Commission underlined that respect for democratic principles is a fundamental tenet of the SAA. All Albania’s political leaders bear a responsibility to its citizens for the conduct of the local elections. Political leaders should not expect the international community to arbitrate among them. All twenty-five EU foreign ministers met yesterday in Brussels. They stressed that the government and the opposition need to work together constructively to ensure the free and fair conduct of the local elections,” said the statement read from Dirk Lange, head of Unit for Albania at the European Commission. Lange, nevertheless, declined to discuss into detail and continuously repeated words from Olli Rehn, EU enlargement commissioner, that if election standards were regular there was no reason to boycott them, that is, on one side telling the government that election standards should be up to international standards, and, on the other side, telling the opposition they should not boycott them. The Commission welcomed Albania’s ratification of the Energy Community Treaty and signature of the European Common Aviation Area Agreement and encouraged Albania to continue to progress in implementing these agreements. The Commission welcomed the positive trend on collection of customs revenue and Albania’s efforts to strengthen customs capacity and structures to promote export and investment. It encouraged Albania to make further progress in the areas of privatization, addressing the grey economy, land registration and restitution, and veterinary and sanitary issues. The Commission assured Albania that it will continue to play its part under the agreements signed with Albania and more broadly through the Stabilization and Association process. Integration Minister Arenca Trashani assured the Commission that Albania will continue to show determination in fulfilling the commitments it has undertaken.