No clear decision yet on Albania’s EU candidate status

TIRANA, May 4 – European Integration Minister Klajda Gjosha said this week Albania’s case for candidate status next month has yet to be decided by the European Union member countries.
Gjosha, speaking in an interview to a local television station, said that the final decision will come after the progress report is prepared by the European Commission.
Albania has been denied the status at least three times since 2009. The last time came in December when five wealthy northwestern EU countries — Germany, Britain, France, Netherlands and Denmark — said they wanted more time to see tangible results, though they set no conditions to the new government.
EU officials have said there were five priorities for Tirana — public administration reform, fight against corruption and organized crime, human rights and justice reform.
The country seems to have done good in general terms, but politics continues to be very conflictual.
Gjosha acknowledged that cooperation with the opposition is of high importance.
“The opposition is a key factor for the process as it has governed (the country) for eight years,” she told A1 Report TV, a station close to the leftist governing coalition.
Brussels will decide on the status in June, after the progress report prepared from the previous cabinet.
Later this month, there are EU elections for a new European parliament, and a new executive and leader will be selected.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati continues his lobbying tours around Europe. He is on a tour in Austria, Poland and Greece. Besides meeting his host counterparts, Bushati will also take part in the proceedings of the 124th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and also the Ministerial Conference of EU – Western Balkans, which will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Last week, Bushati was in Washington where he met with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who also assured him of the U.S. support in Albania’s integration process and encouraged the continuation of the reforms initiated.
There have been positive notes from the EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule who is optimistic about the candidate status in June, based on the results given from Tirana and from the institutional communication with the member countries.
“On the 10th anniversary of accession in the EU of some countries of Eastern Europe and Central Europe, in 2004, I believe that the EU leaders in June would approve Albania’s progress toward the European Union,” said Fule during a press conference about the 10th anniversary of the most important EU enlargement with 10 Eastern European countries on May 1, 2004. “I hope that the member countries will send a bases of positive signals, and that the real decision will be taken for Albania.”