By Ada Huibregtse
Once again Albanians voiced their promise of eternal fidelity to Europe. Unlike many of their counterparts in Central and East Europe several years ago, Albanian officials do not have to be concerned about a lack of support from their constituency regarding accession to the European Union. A yearly survey conducted by the Albanian Institute for International Studies confirms that if such a referendum were to be held in 2010, over 93% of Albanians would say “yes” to the EU accession of Albania.
All eyes may be on those 93% supporting the EU accession when concluding that there is no room for euroskeptics among Albanians. But some focus should perhaps be on the reasons as to why the EU, unlike in any other EU member or aspiring EU member, enjoys such great support in Albania. Free movement of Albanians to EU states has consistently been the main reason for favoring EU accession. This year, 37% of the respondents chose free movement as their motive for support. On the verge of visa liberalization, one should ask whether such an overwhelming majority of Albanians will continue to proclaim “Europe, Forever Yours” in 2011 or will join the indifferents’ club over EU accession.
Will euro-skeptics welcome Albanians on board after visa liberalization? Data from the AIIS survey provide mixed results. Yet euro-skepticism is a real path for those 37 percent Albanians. Euro-lovers, however, have some reasons to celebrate their current strong position. The strategic place that Albanians attach to the EU and some of its large members such as Italy, Germany, and the UK is stable and does not usually change frequently or drastically. This reality suggests that the EU is expected to remain a strategic partner in the future, and EU membership still supported in order to maintain this partnership.
Euro-lovers can also hope that increased public awareness about benefits of the EU accession process can bring increased support for this process. Free and fair elections, respect for the rule of law, the tackling of corruption and organized crime are seen as determining factors for integration. Despite improvements in all these areas in the recent years, they still remain a concern for the Albanian public and the European Union. In this context, the Albanian public can view the EU accession process as a driving force for deep and serious reforms addressing each and every one of these concerns.
Euro-skeptics might have a chance too. It is hard to become an EU member. It requires a great deal of effort and patience and often some painful reforms. The AIIS 2010 survey data show that the Albanian public has little understanding of the EU accession process, thus little information about the political, economic, legal and administrative reforms the Albanian government must undertake. Awareness about the nature and costs of EU accession reforms, and a lack of necessary Albanian administrative capacity to complete these reforms efficiently and in timely fashion, can cause public disillusionment about the likelihood of EU membership. Euro-skepticism gets in the game.
Over 71% of Albanians expect EU membership by 2014, an almost impossible outcome. Will this 71 percent of the population be patient enough for the reforms to take off and be implemented? Here, euro-skeptics can stretch their legs a little further. Europe, love you forever, or love you for now?
