EU candidate status likely lost for this year as Albanian politicians fail to agree on reforms. Germany and Netherlands want to see how elections in Albania are held next year before granting the candidate status.
TIRANA, Nov. 21 – Albania has likely lost the chance to get candidate status this year – the third failure in a row – as the country’s politicians fail to agree on reforms. In addition, it appears key members נGermany and Netherlands נwant to see how elections in Albania are held next year before granting the candidate status.
Next year’s parliamentary elections will be the key and the fundamental basis which will determine whether Tirana should get the candidate status or not, according to German and EU sources quoted by the Albanian media. Germany appears to be the proponent of such position. Meanwhile, through its ambassador to Tirana, the Netherlands has made it clear that Albania is not yet ready for EU candidate status and must continue with Brussels-set reforms in order to achieve it.
No good news in sight
No good news is to be expected from Brussels taking into consideration the recent developments in Tirana. In Albania, politics again failed to reach a consensus.
The governing Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha had made it passing of the three reforms required from Brussels. It said they should have been passed by Nov. 20 which is the date when the European Commission will start preparing the report for the Council of Ministers’ meeting of early December.
Berisha and his Democrats insist that the country lost another opportunity because of the stubbornness of the opposition Socialists.
They are set on resolving the case of the Fieri municipal parliament membership as a precondition to show to Europe that respecting of the laws is the fundamental basis for the membership into the bloc. They complain that despite the court verdicts on the case governing Democrats do not agree to let their elected members run the country.
It is useless to pass other laws when we do not respect and apply the existing laws. Europe is not asking for laws on paper but their respect in practice. These have been the words expressed almost daily from their leader Edi Rama.
Leaders pay lip service to integration
Both leaders insist that Albania’s European integration is the primary goal and target for the country. They also made separate efforts of reconciliation. But failed.
Edi Rama made a repeated call for a meeting with Berisha. At last Berisha agreed Monday, just a day before Nov. 20 deadline. And it seemed they would meet likely the next day and, why not, the parliament convene immediately and pass the three laws (on the judiciary, administration and parliamentary procedures).
But the hint of compromise between the two leaders, also reinforced with a shake of the hands in the morning at a conference held from the Kosovo embassy, fainted in the evening when Berisha put out a statement saying that they could not talk on the Fieri issue at a meeting supposed only to try resolve the deadlock on the three laws required from Europe.
In the following days Albanians listen to what they are used to: the tit-for-tat exchange of criticism from both sides blaming each other on the failure to get the candidate status.
That was made clear by the Dutch ambassador in his interview and also from Peter Stano, spokesman of the EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule in Brussels.
True that the three laws should be passed and are one of the conditions the country has to fulfill along the road of integration. But Stano also said that passing the laws would not mean an automatic approval of its candidate status.
And that was approved with the report from Brussels where Germany has said that elections next year are the real precondition for the future membership step.
