German ambassador urges an end to political deadlock

TIRANA, July 7 – German Ambassador Bernd Borchardt said this week that the political deadlock in Albania may hamper its progress toward the integration into the European Union.
Speaking in the southern city of Gjirokastra Tuesday, Borchardt said the political situation will make it very difficult for the 27 EU member countries to think positively of Albania’s candidate status request it has made this year, and expects and answer likely by the end of the year.
Borchardt said that has become clear to the Albanian authorities from the European Parliament and the European Commission. He said that the EU bases its policies on the Copenhagen criteria which should be respected by all member states or the potential candidates.
He repeated that the place of the western Balkan countries, that is, Albania is in the European bloc. But it should fulfill the required criteria before gaining that level.
“Albania’s place is in Europe but despite the confirmation from the EU on its enlargement there is no entry date set for its accession and there is no enlargement without proper merits,” he said.
Albania is engulfed in a long political crisis since the end of the parliamentary elections last year. The country’s political life is deadlocked when it needs a lot of reforms that need draft laws passed at the parliament with a three-fifth or 84 votes. The democrats and their allies have only 75 of the parliament’s 140 seats.