One day before the terrible terrorist attacks that hit Brussels, the European Parliament approved a draft resolution according to which they recommend to the Commission to consider starting the procedure of negotiations after the approval of the justice reform in Albania. The draft resolution was to pass in the plenary the next day. Then terror struck at the heart of the EU capital.
In the context of things, this is a just a very minor detail carrying very little importance being observed only by us in Albania. But it serves as a metaphor for the very controversial and often dual nature of the reality we are facing. On one side for countries like ours, the dream of Europe is still alive and serves as a legitimizing and encouraging factor for tough reforms and for progress. We lock towards enlargement, assured that the doors are open, assured that this Union will survive and thrive. On the other side, this Europe which is also our Europe is under consistent and increasing stress. Terrorism, refugee crisis, threadbare unity, conflicting approaches, members that want to leave like UK, members which are de facto being left out in the cold like Greece. Under the circumstances of threatening terror free movement and the Schengen agreement seem almost at the brink of dissolving. The tolerance and patience which is required to accommodate diversity and novelty are being drained with alarming speed by scared communities which fall prey to extreme politics.
This context makes our Albanians dream of accession look slightly naà¯ve, maybe a bit ridiculous. Can this Union under attack, under the plight of multiple crisis, under stress of multiple problems, find enough inner strength, enough courage to uphold its vision of enlarging and strengthening and enriching its big European family? The answer carries the utmost importance for our country.
The way Europe will handle this crises, will try to respond to these threats will determine much more than the shape of the Union. It will change the path of countries like ours.
Europe will now have to reconsider once again, in a long series of painful analysis and calculations, the price of freedom, the price of solidarity and democracy. It will have to face once again demons form its own past and even scarier demons lurking in its own neighborhoods. The European Union the ever shy actor in the global stage will need to step up its security and foreign policy element to confront the threats. The conflicts in the Middle East and the perseverance of ISIS are testing all western alliances. It is not a coincidence that Brussels is at the same time an important city for NATO, which has vast headquarters just outside the city.
This attack has served just as it should be as an alarm bell for all European countries. Albania also has to consider the threat potential to its own citizens as there is no immune state to this kind of danger. The issue of more than 100 foreign fighters that originate from within our borders. The strategy to counter violent extremism which has been approved needs to process with better coordination with all the stakeholders.
Solutions can and should be common. There are some good news on this front. Albania is becoming part of the coordination mechanisms in many cases. It has stepped up its security measures and solidified its cooperating with western partners about issues of confronting violent extremisms and dangerous radicalism. On the refugee flux topic, Albania is preparing more welcoming centers should refugees spill from the Greek border and coordinating each single move with Italy, our western EU neighbor to provide proper security.
Crisis bring along the necessity to explore opportunities, highlight spaces for coordination and collaboration. Our Europe, and not just the EU, is under attack. We can all work to save it.
