Albania’s Lessons From Sarajevo Summit
Tirana Times
TIRANA, June 3 – Albania took part at the Sarajevo meeting Wednesday where the European Union tried to reassure western Balkan states it is committed to accepting the former warring foes into the bloc. That’s has been a long-time pledge from Brussels which has also set some benchmarks for individual countries along their integration efforts.
There was nothing specific for Albania at the Sarajevo summit, where Tirana was represented with its Foreign Minister Ilir Meta. “The EU reiterated its unequivocal commitment to the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries, which remains essential for the stability and development of the region. The future of the Western Balkans lies in the European Union,” said the statement at the end of the summit.
It also added that “The EU reaffirmed the need for fair and rigorous conditionality in the framework of the Stabilization and Association process and in accordance with the renewed consensus on enlargement approved by the European Council on December 2006.”
Albania is, meanwhile, preparing the last set of questions asked from Brussels that are to be added for the questionnaire it handed over earlier. Tirana expects a positive answer to take the candidate status this year. That is not sure.
Tirana is also waiting for the visa-free regime to be approved from the European Parliament and then the Council of the EU countries’ interior ministers, something that could likely happen later in autumn.
The Sarajevo summit said that “The participants welcomed the European Union’s intention to extend visa liberalization to all the people of the Western Balkans, once conditions are met. In this context, they welcomed the Commission’s proposal to extend the visa free regime to the citizens of Albania and Bosnia- Herzegovina.” Is Albania doing all the reforms? In general that is the reaction from Brussels. But besides technicalities the tiny Balkan country should also take care and get matured in its politics.
Albania should resolve its political crisis. That was also indicated from the European Parliament which postponed a resolution on Albania (but passed the one on Bosnia) giving time until end of June for a compromise, saying that, true, the visa-free regime is linked to technical details the country has or should fulfill but the decision-making is political. Hardly to have a clearer warning but the problem remains if Albanian politicians have rally understood what that means.
Both the governing Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialists of Tirana Mayor Edi Rama have not changed in their stands. The opposition wants transparency of the June 28 vote. They have slightly changed the tactics accepting that first the vote documentation be checked, investigated and then let it up to the Venice Commission if the ballot boxes should be open for a partial recount.
While Berisha has not changed the stance: open to compromise but not to one which could violate the laws or the constitution, a very open offer leaving much space to debate and frictions.
Senior EU officials said during a one-day meeting with Balkan ministers that they are sending a clear message that the door remains open to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro if they meet the criteria for joining.
“A deal of the future, a future of hope, a future of peace, a future of full integration into the European Union” is open, said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos at the end of the conference in the Bosnian capital.
So far, no nation in the region has qualified, with Croatia the closest to join probably in 2012. The Balkan states are concerned EU members may not want to expand given the current financial crisis. The Balkan officials argue that EU enlargement did not cause the crisis and should not be put on hold. The EU’s conditions for membership include strengthening of the rule of law, fighting against corruption and organized crime, guaranteeing media freedom and regional cooperation. The Sarajevo meeting, organized by the Spanish EU Presidency, marks the 10th anniversary of the gathering in Zagreb, Croatia, where the EU first promised Balkan nations a future in the Union.
Europe hailed that “Important progress in economic and political reform has been made by the countries of the region as demonstrated by ongoing accession negotiation, the preparation of Opinions on membership applications and the establishment of a network of Stabilization and Association agreements,” but it also urged Western Balkans to “intensify their efforts to fulfill the necessary establishment criteria and agreed conditions on their path towards EU membership. The progress of each country will depend on its own merits.”
They stressed the major challenges related to the rule of law, such as administrative and juridical reforms, the fight against corruption and organized crime. These issues are the keys for a functioning democracy and economy and largely condition the EU accession process.
“The EU reiterated its full support for the Western Balkans in their endeavors to intensify the pace of reforms. The EU looked forward to the Western Balkans moving to the nest stages of the accession process, on the basis of established criteria and agreed conditions. EU membership of all the Western Balkans remains our shared objective,” said the statement. The idea that one could find in all these words is that the Balkans should first try to work together, to find compromise and increase local businesses as that would make it road to EU membership easier.
In other words, it tells Albania that everybody should be committed in and work together for the country’s integration into the bloc. Because if they can’t do such a major thing with themselves, how could they claim to cooperate in this region, which once was considered a ‘powder keg?”
