Europe wants Albania to not apply for candidacy status before its June polls

TIRANA, Feb 24 – The Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha had a working meeting in Brussels with the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn.
Basha briefed Commissioner Rehn over the progress of reforms in Albania, the economic developments, the preparations for the June 28 elections and the will of Albania’s Government to intensify these reforms in every area.
Minister Basha and Commissioner Rehn extensively discussed the process of Albania’s European integration and further steps in this regard, in the framework of the coordination of the actions between Albania, the EU Member States and the EU Commission.
The interlocutors dwelled on the visa liberalization process; on this occasion, Minister Basha informed Commissioner Rehn on the process of the production and distribution of the identity cards and biometric passes.
Basha also held the Annual Troika Meeting in the framework of the EU – Albania Political Dialogue.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha has said that the government will apply for the candidacy status before the Czech rotating presidency ends in June.
Rehn’s spokeswoman Kristina Nagy warned, however, that Brussels wanted to see concrete results on Albania’s obligations ahead of that application. One of the basic conditions ahead of that application would be to hold free and fair elections.
“Guaranteeing and properly holding parliamentary elections of this year in line with the international standards is a key condition for Albania’s further advancing in its road towards the EU,” she said.
Other conditions are the application and concrete results of the Stabilization and Association Agreement Albania and the EU signed in June 2006 and that is ratified by all its member countries.
Nagy said after the Basha-Rehn meeting that the Albanian government had made a good wise choice not to rush in applying for the candidate status country, clearly hinting it was not expected at this moment.
Basha also acknowledged after the meeting he had not discussed any date for such an application, other than speaking about the coordination of that process between Tirana and Brussels.
He also said, however, that the application would be made within the Czech rotating presidency, that is until the end of June this year.