Fule: We are not proposing yet the opening of accession negotiations, but the candidate status is within the capabilities.
TIRANA, Nov. 27 – Though Albania’s EU integration was proclaimed as a top goal during speeches marking the100 years of Albania’s independence, the country has yet to fulfill requirements set by the EU to take the next step נat least three laws need to be approved – to get candidate status Albania has sought since 2009.
Due to the political disagreements the governing Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama have yet to agree whether they really want integration into the bloc. Both sides have their separate standards that are not in accordance with what Brussels is asking for.
The opposition Socialists complain that the governing Democrats are not respecting the court verdicts and are trying to disrupt the normal functioning of the local authorities, which they have won, in the western city of Fier. They say it is useless to pass laws that are normally not respected and the EU integration first starts from respecting the laws.
The Democrats offer a compromise with a vote of confidence for all the elected people in Fier, which is not accepted by the Socialists who always refer to the verdicts of different levels of the courts. The Democrats urge them continuously to join them and pass the three required laws. The time limit of Nov. 20 has passed and no laws were passed by the Albanian parliament.
Sure that was not the only requirement from Brussels.
In October, with the annual progress report, the European Commission proposed to the EU’s Council of Ministers to give the candidate status to Tirana after it completes the fulfillment of the 12 key recommendations, including these three laws.
So it is clear that everything is in Tirana’s hands. That was also repeated this week by the EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule in a Western Balkans Civil Society Forum, held in Zagreb, Croatia. He said that the EU candidate status is within Albania’s capabilities.
“Albania has made a significant progress during last year, especially with the agreement that the parties have signed for the process of EU reforms as well as in fulfilling several key reforms which were defined in the opinion of the European Commission. We are not proposing yet the opening of accession negotiations, but the candidate status is within the capabilities,” Fule said.
There can hardly be a clearer urge than that.
Europe is not interested in the political frictions in Albania. They urge a big compromise for such a major goal for the tiny western Balkan country. Brussels is not interested in the reasons the two political groupings give at a time when it results in leaving the country behind the others in the region.
European leaders and politicians call on both sides not to make failed calls on each other to pass these laws and the like.
The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee voted a resolution on Albania containing a recommendation to grant the country the status of EU candidate.
True that these three laws should be passed. But it is also obligatory that the Fieri case is over and all the sides just respect the laws. Common Albanians have voted for their leaders so that they get together, work together even if they don’t like each other.
And working for the EU integration step is the major goal at this moment.
