TIRANA, May 27 – The European Commission on Thursday said they had approved a proposal for Albania and Bosnia to get visa liberalization.
Attention shifted on Thursday from the political crisis on Thursday as both EU and Albanian officials focused on the European Commission’s proposal for the visa liberalization for Albania.
The EU is ending visa requirements for Bosnia and Albania, two Balkan states where citizens had to wait for weeks to be allowed entry into the 27-nation bloc, likely by the end of the year.
EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malstrom said Thursday that the European Parliament and member states would now have to approve the proposal.
In 2009, the EU abolished visas for the citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The latest move would leave Kosovo, a country not recognized by all EU members, as the last Balkan region without visa-free travel to the EU.
The EU had demanded that Bosnia and Albania make technical adjustments — such as introducing biometric passports and strengthening their law enforcement capability –before granting them visa-free status.
The European Commission gave an approval of the recommendation for lifting the visa regime for citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there are other steps to be taken before the countries’ citizens can travel freely in Europe without a visa.
The European Commission’s recommendation included a number of requirements that Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina must still fulfill. An EC mission will check Albania’s commitment and fulfillment of the last three “outstanding benchmarks” in summer.
The European Commission asked Albania to complete the development of a strategy and policy to support the reintegration of Albanian migrants deported from EU countries.
It also called on both Albania and Bosnia to strengthen law enforcement capacities and effective implementation of the legal framework for the fight against organized crime and corruption, including through allocation of adequate financial and human resources.
The third requirement addressed to Tirana concerns the effective implementation of the new law, which it adopted in 2009, in the area of the confiscation of criminal assets.
Last year, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina failed to meet the necessary conditions for visa liberalization, and thus could not be part of the first wave of visa-free travel for countries in the region. While all of the countries in the Western Balkans hoped to be granted a visa-free regime last year, only Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia succeeded in joining the “White Schengen” list in December 2009.
Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina had been hoping to join their neighbors on the list in the first part of this year.
Albanian and Bosnian citizens are unlikely to enjoy visa-free travel in the countries of Western Europe before the end of this year because of additional procedures necessary for the decision to become valid.
After the official recommendation by European Commission, it has to get the green light from the European Parliament and the final approval of the Council of Ministers.
In the best-case scenario the parliament would address the visa issue in mid-September at the earliest. But Malstroem and also Helmuth Lohan, EC Ambassador in Tirana, declined to give any timing saying that everything depended on Albania fulfilling the other three benchmarks and also on the wish and will of the European parliamentarians and the Council.
EC officials insisted that Brussels did not fear of any influx of people asking for asylum in their Schengen countries, praising Tirana’s public awareness campaign that explains what visa liberalization mean to common people.
Naturally they were optimistic that would be concluded this year, taking into consideration that until now Tirana had complied with most of the benchmarks asked for.
The Belgian EU Presidency, which takes over the mandate on July 1, has insisted that the issue must be left in the exclusive hands of EU ministers of interior. They may hold three meetings this autumn when they may discuss such an issue.
Once the interior ministers agree on lifting the visa regime for Albanian and Bosnian citizens, it enters into force twenty days after the decision is published in the EU’s official journal.
On June 2, 2010 Sarajevo will host the European Union – Western Balkans High-Level Meeting, which will gather delegations from the European Union, Western Balkans, Russian Federation and Turkey and international organizations.
Berisha: We are ready to fulfill other benchmarks
Prime Minister Sali Berisha hailed Brussels’ decision on the visa liberalization considering it a historic step in the country’s progress toward the European Union.
“That is a historic achievement for each Albanian citizen,” said Berisha at a news conference held immediately after that of Malstroem in Brussels.
The premier extended his appreciation and thanks to the Brussels institutions and officials in assisting the country reach such standards.
“I guarantee commissioner Malstroem, the European Commission and all its member countries that the three benchmarks for the Albanian authorities will be treated with the greatest seriousness from this government,” he pledged.
Berisha said that they had already compiled, in collaboration with the international community, a strategy on the repatriation of the people and that was soon to be passed by the government. He continued to say that the executive had and would be committed to increase funding and personnel for the law enforcement institutions in charge of the fight against crime and corruption. He also said that the asset confiscation law was being applied and would have good records in the near future.
“Lifting the visas is a dream come true since the time of the Renaissance,” he said.
Rama: We are grateful for the decision
Opposition Socialist leader Edi Rama sent a letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressing his gratitude for the proposal “creating us the possibility to become part of the free area, like the neighbors, so that Albanians can cross the borders without being hampered.”
Rama also appealed to Brussels that the political conflict in the country should not affect the visa liberalization process.
“Allow me to tell you Mr. President that the Albanians’ free movement should in no way be linked to any problem Albania encounters nowadays due to the lack of transparency or the constitutionality in a series of aspects of the country’s administrative work, starting from the parliament where you unfortunately may often encounter such shortcomings.”
Rama continued to say in his letter that this period will be fundamental for Albania and “the unconditional visa liberalization for Albania will undoubtedly encourage the overcoming of the difficult obstacles the Albanian society has encountered nowadays in building up the rule of law and a functional democracy.”
