Albania fails to get EU candidate status
By: andi balla
TIRANA, Oct. 13 – Albania’s failure this week to receive official EU membership candidate status did not come as a surprise, as Albanians had already braced for bad news after two years of political deadlock.
But when Ettore Sequi, Brussels’ top man in Tirana, visited the country’s political leaders Wednesday with a little folder containing the official progress report, the bad news somehow became more real for Albanians.
There was constant live television coverage of the report being delivered in Brussels and Tirana, the news flooded the front pages of newspapers the next day, and Ambassador Sequi was pinned down by Albanian journalists at a lengthy night news conference.
The report’s message was clear: The next step to accession will have to wait until Albania and its politicians sort themselves out. Although progress was made in some areas, the commission was not in a position to recommend further steps for Albania this year.
“Albania has made limited progress in meeting the political criteria and meeting the 12 key priorities set by the EU,” Ambassador Sequi said. But knowing the likely reaction by Albanian politicians to the report, he added, “The progress report should serve as an element of unity not division.”
If Albania’s main political parties were the target of Sequi’s comments, his message was lost.
Just a couple of hours after the report became fully public, the PR machine of the Democratic Party chief and prime minister, Sali Berisha, and that of the Socialist Party head and opposition leader, Edi Rama, went into high gear.
Socialists “left us out of Europe,” was the message screaming in the front page of the Democratic Party’s official newsletter, blaming the opposition for the failure. It’s the prime minister’s fault, and “here are 30 reasons why,” replied the Socialist counterpart publication in similar fashion.
Brussels speaks
From the analysis in their official publications it is clear both sides had chosen to focus on the parts of the report that made their case, and ignored the rest. The full 71-page report is available online (http://goo.gl/jPOjt), and it lists many areas where Albania needs to make further progress (see sidebar), but the main reason behind the lack of progress were spelled out in a speech by EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.
“Progress has been hampered by the continuation of the political stalemate and parliamentary boycott. This despite all our efforts to support progress,” said Fule.
Fule noted that some positive signals suggest that the political parties want to restart dialogue. “This is urgently needed to re-establish and maintain a level of cooperation which would allow for progress on the EU integration path,” he said
As well, Fule said the EU was ready to help all parties “overcome personal distrust,” adding it’s important “for the government to demonstrate the ability to create conditions for an inclusive process of integration and for the opposition to be a constructive partner in this process.”
Reactions in Tirana
Speaking in a press conference following the release, Prime Minister Berisha said the opposition’s failure to vote on several laws that require a large majority was to blame for the lack of progress. “In no other country do politicians not vote on laws tied to integration,” said Berisha.
Socialists argue that there was lack of progress in all the points set up for EU, not just in the areas they refused to vote on because the government has so far not taken any steps to address opposition requests for policy changes. “High corruption and the lack of an independent judiciary really bother the international community,” says a Socialist statement, placing the blame for the failure on Prime Minister Berisha.
Albania’s head of state, President Bamir Topi, did not appear very amused by the immediate political reactions. In a strongly-worded message he told both sides to stop the rhetoric.
“The political parties did not accept any concrete responsibilities, and blamed the opposing side for losing the chance of integration instead. As president and a citizen I reject these views and practice,” said Topi. “This is not what Albania, its democracy and integration need. This is why Albanian citizens feel unduly penalized. Albania needs a new political vision for responsible attitudes and policies, outside personal rhetoric and propaganda that do no not resolve but rather extend our transition and our integration chances.”
Message lost?
Local analysts argue that the negative answer from Brussels likely won’t be enough to pressure the two main political leaders, Rama and Berisha, to hammer out an agreement. They note that as long as the leaders’ direct personal interests are not threatened, the EU’s message will be lost until popular pressure builds up closer to the elections. Several opinion writers in Albanian newspapers have gone as far as saying neither party leader really wants to see Albania make progress in the integration path toward EU membership, because it would make them more accountable and their lives harder.
Albanians overwhelmingly support EU membership, annual studies by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) indicate. But experts at AIIS argue EU membership should be more than a goal in itself.
“The needed progress spelled out in the report should first and foremost be done to improve Albanians’ lives and strengthen Albania’s state before they are seen as simple items on a to-do list that leads to eventual EU membership,” says an AIIS statement.
Key findings of the report:
ctivities of parliament in legislative and control functions, which are a key priority, remain insufficient.
Political stalemate, the events of January 21 and election controversies in Tirana have hindered the work of parliament as well as the necessary political dialogue.
Political deadlock has prevented the necessary consensus to implement key reforms for European integration.
Partial opposition boycott prevented the work of parliament and approval by three-fifths of laws.
Proper functioning of Parliament, based on a constructive political dialogue between the parties, as a key priority, is not guaranteed yet.
There are still essential processes in the reform of public administration, including the civil service law, which are not completed yet.
Alignment of important legislation is pending and depends on overcoming the political impasse.
There has been concern about interference or obstacles for an independent investigation into possible criminal acts that followed the events of January 21, when four demonstrators were killed.
The process of judicial appointment remains a concern, particularly about the risk of politicization of the process.
Little progress has been made in achieving sustainable results in the investigation, prosecution and punishment of corruption cases at all levels. Investigations at the medium and high levels are rare.
Corruption is widespread in many areas and continues to be a particularly serious problem.
