“Becoming a member of the EU is a profound change for the country and society. It is not just the responsibility of the political forces and institutions. Every citizen is concerned, and I think it will help the Government, Parliament and administration if they have the support, encouragement and participation of the citizens,” says French Ambassador to Tirana Christine Moro in an exclusive interview with Tirana Times. She shared with us her country’s priorities for Albania, recollections of an eventful 2011, and prospects of Albania’s EU candidate status.
Tirana Times, Feb 9, 2012
By Anastasia Nazarko
TT: First of all, please tell us a bit about the bilateral relations between Albania and France. What are their strong points and in which areas would you like to see improvement?
Ambassador Christine Moro: Our relations are excellent, and my aim is making them even more fruitful wherever possible!
We have a tradition of cultural exchanges, including in the field of education: remember the “Lycꥠfran袩s de Kor衢, and all the Albanian top students who have studied in France. The French language is an asset and the up-and-coming generations must also be able to take advantage of it. French is a working language in the European and international institutions and a program of French lessons for Albanian civil servants dealing with European affairs has been set up with the International Organization of Francophonie, of which Albania is a member state. I am also keen on increasing the number of Albanian students in French Universities, as well as inter-university cooperation. To provide a good foundation, we need to make sure that the children who want to learn French at school can do that easily.
I am likewise focusing on the economic ties between Albania and France. There are already some success stories of French businesses in the country, but the French Embassy is working hard, along with the Albanian authorities, to make Albania and its opportunities better known in France. French businesses can help Albania to fulfill its needs and priorities.
We are also committed to the success of Albanian authorities and civil society in dealing with the twelve key priorities set out by the European Commission’s Opinion on Albania issued in 2010. This is the core of our cooperation programs. To be more specific, we are involved in programs concerning the functioning of Parliament, reform of the judiciary, reform of the administration, the fight against organized crime, anti-corruption efforts and human rightsŠ
TT: In terms of the general context of French foreign policy and relations, how would you characterize the year 2011? What were the biggest challenges it faced and what can be done to overcome similar obstacles this year?
Ambassador Moro: The year 2011 has been full of important events that will remain in our memories, such as the earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Osama Bin Laden’s death, the Arab Spring uprisings and the public debt crisis in Europe.
The Arab Spring uprisings occurred rather unexpectedly and put an end to three decades of being at a standstill. People have decided to take their fate in their own hands and have been claiming the values of democracy as their own: freedom of opinion, freedom of speech and freedom to decide for themselves. This is an important and positive move! In Libya, the people were faced with a dictator ready to shed the blood of his own fellow-citizens to keep his power. That was unacceptable. Under a resolution by the United Nations Security Council, a coalition led by France and the United Kingdom exercised the “responsibility to protect” and launched a military intervention to help the Libyan people to defeat Gaddafi.
Throughout 2011, a great deal of attention, time and work was dedicated to tackling the various aspects of the public debt crisis in Europe such as implementing financial solidarity with Ireland, Portugal and Greece to answer immediate needs and finding long-term solutions for financial stability in the Euro zone countries. They include a permanent anti-crisis mechanism, better economic governance of the common currency and budgetary discipline. The situation is calmer now but discussions continue at European level. It is a very serious crisis that has put the euro and the whole European integration at risk. France and Germany have taken the lead not only because of their economic weight but also because they are committed to remaining at the core of Europe and they are used to working out possible solutions.
International life involves tackling the crisis when they -all too often- happen.
Joining efforts with those of like-minded countries, and in particular the Arab League, the French diplomacy is pressing for a solution to the situation in Syria, where the brutal crackdown on opposition is unacceptable.
Diplomacy also means looking beyond the facts -or ahead-, thinking over developments in the world and trying to steer them towards positive results.
That is what France is trying to do, for instance about globalization. During our G8 and G20 presidency in 2011, we tried to build with our partners the rules for global governance: globalization is all right, but the financial crisis that begun in 2008 has shown its drawbacks when it is uncontrolled. Globalization has to have rules, just as we need rules to organize our domestic societies.
This is true in the field of finance and economy, but also in other fields, like the environment. We all live on the same planet -we only have one – , we are experiencing its limits. That is why in 2012 France will be supporting, 20 years after the Rio Earth Summit, the creation of a World Environment Organization: an international organization that brings together all the countries of the world to deal with what is a challenge for all of them.
Sometimes we have heard talk of a “decline” of Europe. I think Europe and the European people deserve more optimism. It is true that the 21st century is seeing more and more countries attain democracy and prosperity. We are increasingly “sharing” democracy and prosperity: this is good news for everyone! It shows the convincing force of our values: we have to be proud of that. And the facts show that Europe remains very attractive.
TT: This year France will have, like Albania, presidential elections. Considering the crisis which France and Europe have been faced with, has there been any sense of introversion in France? Have the priorities that might have previously been placed on promoting relations and stability abroad begun to shift inward?
Ambassador Moro: In 2011, international affairs and European affairs were high on the French agenda. It is true that my country is now heading towards presidential elections in April/May, followed by general elections in June. There are going to be intense discussions about the priorities the French people want its political institutions to have. It does not mean that France is going to become indifferent to events in Europe or in the world: as the fifth economic power in the world, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of the most active contributors to peacekeeping operations, we have big responsibilities. I can assure you that stability, peace, democracy and human rights are widely shared values and aims in my country.
TT: In 2012, Albania will be reapplying for candidate status with the EU. What, in your view, are the most critical things which Albania must accomplish if it hopes to receive a positive answer? What can the citizens do to contribute to this process, rather than leaving it solely in the hands of the political forces?
Ambassador Moro: What Albania has to do in order to get the status of candidate has been very clear since the European Commission issued its Opinion on Albania, which was endorsed by the European Council in late 2010.
I am happy that the political forces, which had in the past focused more on domestic affairs, realized this autumn the importance of following the path set out by the EU. I think they also realized that the work is going to be neither simple nor quick. It is not a matter of a simple check-list but a comprehensive program. There is no time to lose. Results must be achieved to convince the Commission and the member states that Albania is committed to going forward with perseverance, to making progress towards high levels of democracy, transparency, the rule of law and human rights.
Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic recently visited Albania and underlined all the efforts his country had made in the EU accession process. Today Croatia has successfully completed the negotiations, which shows the aim is within reach!
You are right to mention the necessary contribution of the citizens. Becoming a member of the EU is a profound change for the country and society. It is not just the responsibility of the political forces and institutions. Every citizen is concerned, and I think it will help the Government, Parliament and administration if they have the support, encouragement and participation of the citizens. The Delegation of the European Union to Albania is organizing in May a “European month”, a series of events and meetings in which the Embassies of the member states, including the French Embassy, will take part. It will provide a good opportunity to make the European Union more tangible and less theoretic and bring it closer to the citizens.
