The Stabilization and Association Council between Albania and the European Union held its fifth meeting. The council reiterated the importance of conducting the June parliamentary elections in line with EU and international standards.
TIRANA, April 23 – The Stabilization and Association Council between Albania and the European Union held its fifth meeting on Tuesday repeating that holding free and fair, democratic elections as the main priority now for the tiny western Balkan country along its path toward the bloc.
The council reiterated the importance of conducting the June parliamentary elections in line with EU and international standards and welcomed the recommendation of the OSCE/ODIHR to deploy an election observation mission, following an official invitation by the Albanian government.
The SAA Council underlined the importance of the Electoral Code effective implementation and called for particular attention to ensure the election administration bodies discharge their duties in a professional way, independent from political considerations. The council noted that the European Commission’s 2012 Progress Report on Albania concluded that overall, the country had made good progress towards meeting the political criteria for membership and the 12 key priorities for the opening of accession negotiations.
The council also called on Albania to take further steps to address the issue of unfounded asylum applications lodged by Albanian nationals.
It noted the improved political dialogue and co-operation in parliament between ruling majority and opposition which led to encouraging progress on the EU reform agenda in 2012. The Council stressed that the reform agenda needs to be pursued relentlessly. The council welcomed the adoption of legislation for the reform of the public administration, and called for its effective implementation.
The council encouraged Albania to take measures to complement stability-oriented fiscal and monetary policies by structural reforms to ensure long-term sustainable economic growth and enhanced competitiveness.
