TIRANA, Oct. 19 – Albania and North Macedonia continue to fulfill the conditions to open accession negotiations, but the delays in the official launch are having a negative impact on the credibility of the EU, the European Commission says in its latest key document on enlargement.
The EU’s executive branch adopted its 2021 Enlargement Package on Tuesday, providing a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by the six Western Balkan states on their respective paths towards the European Union, with a particular focus on implementing fundamental reforms, as well as clear guidance on the reform priorities ahead.
The EC acknowledges that Albania is being arbitrarily held back due to pending bilateral issues between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, which EC says need to be resolved as a matter of priority.
“It is crucial that EU Member States conclude the discussions on the Negotiating Frameworks without further delay and that the first intergovernmental conferences with both countries are held as soon as possible and before the end of this year,” the EC said in a statement.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told MEPs that “the postponement of the opening of negotiations with these two countries has had a negative impact. … It is important that the members of the European Union understand that. They have met the conditions in order to hold the first intergovernmental conference with these two countries.”
The report noted Albania is advancing steadily on the EU reform path, but also highlighted several issues of concern.
In Albania’s case, needed reforms will continue to target the public administration, the justice system as well as the fight against corruption and organized crime.
Other highlights of the report for Albania include concerns over problems with the last general elections and the justice system.
“Concerns remained related to the misuse of public resources or official functions, to allegations of vote buying, and to the leaking of sensitive personal data covering the political preferences of citizens,” the report notes.
The report adds Albania’s judicial system is also moderately prepared, noting the slow but steady progress of the justice reform and its vetting process.
The EC report also states that no progress has been made on freedom of expression during the reporting period.
“The atmosphere of verbal attacks, smear campaigns and acts of intimidation against journalists has not improved,” the report notes, crucially adding: “self-regulation in online media needs to be ensured.”
EC’s concern comes as the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to withdraw a piece of legislation pending in Albania’s parliament that would strip online media from the right to use self-regulation bodies and would force it to use the state’s regulatory body for broadcast media, AMA, which is seen as by many as political and government-controlled.
The EC report also notes a sharp decrease of asylum requests from Albania in 2020, contributing to the pandemic and related travel restrictions.
The report says all six Western Balkans partners have committed to establishing a Common Regional Market, building on EU rules and standards, and should focus on overcoming the difficulties encountered in order to bring the opportunities of this initiative to the citizens and businesses of the region and to maximise the benefits of the investments under the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan.
While the report takes note of the Open Balkan Initiative signed by Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, it stops short of endorsing it, focusing on the more inclusive Common Regional Market and CEFTA instead and the need to to conclude several important agreements to make it functional, which are pending due to bilateral issues, chiefly between Serbia and Kosovo.
