More than two months after the May 8 municipal polls, EU says Albania should no more think of them but focus on reforms for the electoral code and the integration process.
Tirana Times
TIRANA, July 19 – On Tuesday, Albania held its third meeting of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Commission on its progress toward membership in the bloc.
The clear message from Brussels came from its Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele. “The election time is over,” he said at a news conference after the meeting.
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Fuele issued a joint statement on Albania.
They expressed their concern on the “controversy and polarization over decisions of the Central Election Commission and the Electoral College, including over the latest decision and reasoning by the Electoral College.”
“The electionsin Tiranawere not good as they demonstrated beyond doubt that the electoral framework needs to be reformed,” they said.
The Councilof the EU on 20 June stressed that shortcomings in the legal framework and electoral process will need to be addressed in a comprehensive, effective and consensual manner through a thorough electoral reform, in line withall recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR.
Fuele said they were still waiting for the final assessment by OSCE/ODIHR and also welcomed the initiative by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjoern Jagland, asking the Venice Commission for an opinion on how to avoid similar situations in future elections.
“We expect this to be supported by all sides in Albania as part of a serious effort to overcome the difficulties noted during the conduct of elections in Albania, most recently in 2011.”
Fuele said that it is time for political forces in Albania to overcome the political stalemate and return to a level of political dialogue that would allow the proper functioning of key democratic institutions, notably the parliament.
He said that work on addressing the Commission Opinion’s recommendations, in particular the 12 key priorities, and other key challenges needs to be pursued in an effective and inclusive way.
Fuele and Ashton repeated that “In order to achieve progress on the EU integration path, electoral and constitutional reforms, reforms of the parliamentary rules and procedures as well as other key reforms are essential and urgent,” adding that the EU would be ready to facilitate this task.
Fuele called on both the government and the opposition to focus on the EU integration agenda and the electoral reform, but declined to say whether Albania would get the candidate status or if it could fulfill the 12 key recommendations ahead of the EU’s progress report in October.
Fuele said that Albania had achieved a lot in recent years: “The implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement has been positive overall, the visa liberalization process was completed in December 2010, and the European integration process is ongoing. Albania has maintained a constructive and stabilizing role in the region.”
But he said he was concerned about the current political situation in Albania following the local elections and the missed opportunity to make substantial progress on key priorities and challenges on the path towards EU integration.
Croatia set the ideal example of adopting credible reforms that bring results, added Fuele, also noting that “I would like to encourage Albania to grab this momentum to redouble its efforts and to deliver reforms in key areas.”
The European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, including Albania, is essential for the stability and the prosperity of the region and for the European Union, he said. “Albania’s European perspective remains high on the European Union agenda and the Commission stands ready to continue assisting the country in this regard. Albanian political leaders need to show that they are ready to work towards that direction and put the country’s interest ahead of party agendas.”
In an interview to the Deutsche Welle, Hana Richtermocova who headed the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities monitoring mission at the May 8 municipal polls, also said that Albania needs a new electoral code.
She said they are also preparing a report on Albania’s election that is to be completed by October. She said it is also to suggest ways to avoid the political stalemate in the tiny western Balkan country.
