Tirana Times
TIRANA, Nov. 8 – The European Parliament delegation for relations with Western Balkan countries was unable to reach a deal between Albania’s ruling and opposition crisis in its efforts to end the prolonged political crisis.
Headed by Eduard Kukan, the EU lawmakers had meetings with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and also opposition Socialist party leader Edi Rama.
Kukan has been part of the European Parliament team of mediating negotiations between Berisha and Rama in Strasbourg since last May. During the meetings with Albanian politicians they focused on the political situation in the country and on the electoral reform reports.
Albania’s political institutions have been criticized by the European Commission and have negatively affected many of its integration steps until now.
But this time it became clear European lawmakers are unable to resolve any political dispute in this tiny western Balkan country that hopes to join them at the European Union one day.
The European delegation held a round table with lawmakers from both main political groupings and at the end of the hours of talking they could not produce a joint statement.
Moreover, German lawmaker Doris Pack, who has always been involved in issues covering Albania, left the room in anger, complaining that she had heard the same arguments from Albanian politicians in the last 20 years.
The governing Democrats opposed her proposal and then the opposition Socialists did not agree to approve the final statement that did not include Pack’s proposal. It has usually been clear that Pack always supports the center-right Democrats.
But despite showing a weakness; for Europe in mediating in Albania, it still tells that things do not look good for Albania.
Although eventual EU membership remains a “goal”, it was clear that the commission would not be ready to suggest starting accession talks and even a recommendation to grant Albania candidate status was not yet assured.
The most problematic issue is the functioning of the country’s democratic institutions.
Democracy and politics remain top issues for the Copenhagen criteria that serve as the basis which any country looking for membership should accomplish.
Effectiveness and stability of democratic institutions is not sufficiently achieved in this country. Parliamentary institutions and procedures do not function properly and consequently parliament does not exercise effective oversight and control over the government and its scrutiny of legislative development is weak.
The main problem is the absence of an orderly dialogue between the ruling majority and opposition in Albania.
“The political dialogue is confrontational and nonconstructive, not least because of the political stalemate since the June 2009 elections,” the commission warns. “This obstructs parliamentary work and prevents necessary policy reforms based on consensus, which are needed in countries on an EU integration path.” It would be the first time in many years that the commission has refrained from recommending candidate status straight away.
But what does it mean to Albania?
Positively, one could say that will oblige its politicians to think well and really consider what good steps to take if they want to integrate with EU one day.
But negatively one could ask: Do they really want to make Albania an EU member one day? And what they are doing, their politics and the way they are holding it does not support that.
