Kukan: June elections key to Albania’s future

TIRANA, April 8 – Eduard Kukan, head of the European Parliament delegation covering the Balkan region, made it clear again that Albania’s June 23 parliamentary elections will be very important for the country’s image and future.
The EU has not said that the polls are the only key condition for the country’s further progress into the integration into the bloc. But there have been many top officials in the EU pyramid to say that the polls are the most important step for the moment.
“The country’s image, future, the future of the European integration process will depend very much on these elections,” said Kukan in an interview to the Albanian private television station AS. “It is fully in the consciousness of the politicians to show if they are truly interested for Albania’s European future.”
Albanians have always shown that they are very pro-European, much more than many other eastern European countries that now may be part of the bloc.
That fact is also mentioned from the politicians of both opposing political groupings, saying that the country’s European integration is the key step and issue in their contest.
However, the country’s politicians don’t often follow EU standards in the way the perform their duties.
“I am convinced that all European institutions want to see progress in Albania but that remains to be made from the Albanian political parties and the politicians,” said Kukan.