Looking at another EU refusal, government and opposition leaders say it’s the other side’s fault.
By Andi Balla
TIRANA, Mar 1 – Albania has little hope of getting EU candidate status this year, officials in Brussels implied this week prior to the bloc’s scheduled meeting of foreign ministers. At the same meeting, Serbia received the green light for candidate status after its agreement with Kosovo over representation at international meetings.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule did not give an official answer to Albania’s request for candidate status ahead of the bloc’s meeting, but he said publicly that without fulfilling the 12 recommendations set in Albania’s annual progress report since 2010 the country should not expect a positive answer.
Independent analysts say Albania has not completed work on the recommendations due to a mixture of officials’ inability to get the job done and the continued hostile political climate between the government and opposition which has blocked speedy reforms.
There was little hope that Albania would make the cut this spring, but the strong likelihood another refusal hasn’t gone easy in Tirana, where the political implications both for the government and the opposition are too hard to ignore. The governing and opposition leaders turned to the blame game, pointing the finger at the other side for not doing enough to meet the Brussels requests.
The governing Democratic Party launched a massive media blitz with one talking point: Opposition leader Edi Rama is to blame for the integration bid not moving forward, because he and his party have stalled reforms on purpose.
Mr. Rama and the Socialists responded that the claim was ridiculous since the homework Brussels has set for Tirana must be done by the government officials not the opposition.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha repeated the talking point in several meetings, placing the blame squarely on his rival. “Albanians deserved [the status] in 2009. It wasn’t granted because of him [Mr. Rama]. The same in 2010, 2011 and now. We are not going to get the status because he won’t vote on the reforms,” Mr. Berisha said at a Tirana press conference.
Mr. Rama said Serbia’s progress while Albania sits still shows the government has failed Albanians in “the historic process” of European integration. “The opposition has done its homework set by the European Commission … while the government has done none of its direct duties yet,” Mr. Rama wrote on his official blog.
The reforms in question relate to approval of laws that require three fifths of the members of parliament to vote. Dragging its feet, using the only card it has at its disposal, the opposition says it’s not just about voting, but making sure laws are properly written and implemented, corruption is fought, there is free competition in business and transparency among government officials.
In its latest meeting, the integration commission of the Albanian parliament – which is supposed to spearhead reforms for integration -was instead involved in a political debate along the same lines as the party leaders.
“We risk loosing the status for the third time, because this government is not serious in addressing the issues in a timely fashion,” said Taulant Balla, a Socialist member of parliament.
The Democrats replied it wasn’t the government’s fault.
“We all know who is really to blame for the delays,” said Gerti Bogdani, a Democrat member of parliament, placing the blame on the Socialists.
As the debate stirred in Albanian political circles, Brussels’ top man in Tirana, Ambassador Ettore Sequi, said politicians should stop the squabbling and focus on the dream of Albanians to integrate into Western democratic institutions based on their European identity.
“The European dream, which essentially is the dream of democracy, justice and development, led Albanians throughout history, and in the 1990s, it was key to protests against the regime,” he said “Year after year in surveys Albanians support EU membership.This support is so high, so strong that dream deserves to be given priority by the state institutions.”
Speaking at a ceremony in the Albanian parliament, Ambassador Sequi said members of parliament should have constructive discussions and not be shackled to political conflict.
“Albania’s parliament gathers representatives who are mandated to pursue dreams, desires and aspirations of the people, including EU membership,” he said. “Understanding and cooperation must go on.”
After good start, problems still there
After good start in November, when both main political parties agreed to work together on the reforms, starting with the electoral code, much of that cooperation seems to have stalled.
The opposition Socialists were the first to openly accuse the governing Democrats of failing to proceed with the electoral reform and for blocking it. They said that unlike earlier pledges of approving any amendments stemming from OSCE-ODIHR recommendations, the Democrats have resisted any changes.
The Democrats, on their side, said that the Socialists had made no requests in line with the international recommendations. Mr. Berisha said the only thing Socialists had asked for was to cut the right of the prime minister to speak in parliament sessions from unlimited to 10 minutes, like every other member of parliament.
So far, cooperation in many areas has been practically suspended, which is not a good omen for Albania’s EU bid, analysts note.
Calls for consensual president rebuffed
Another sticking points between the government and opposition is the selection of the country’s next president.
Prime Minister Berisha made it clear again at a news conference Tuesday that the new president will come from the Democratic Party, rebuffing calls for a consensual candidate.
He invited the opposition to make their nominations but also said that though the Albanian government takes into consideration the international community’s opinion for a consensual candidate, he would simply “respect the country’s constitution” in selecting the next president.
Those are key words referring to the fact the president is elected by the parliament with three-fifths of MPs voting, or 84 votes two times and a simple majority, or 71 votes the third time. Mr. Berisha has the 71 votes, though one of his lawmakers, Gazmend Oketa, former defense minister, left the party last week.
But the international community has said that the new president should be a consensual. Brussels and Washington have reminded Albania’s government it is important to do what’s best for country when nominating independent top figures like the president and the prosecutor general.
Mr. Berisha has repeatedly said that the new president will come from the ranks of the ruling parties and that according to the constitution his governing coalition does not need to seek the approval of the opposition.
Serbia moves forward
As Albania’s own integration bid stalls, EU foreign ministers said this week neighboring Serbia deserves a chance to join the EU, and it should become an official candidate this spring. The ministers made the recommendation after meeting in Brussels, citing Serbia’s progress in its relations with Kosovo.
Before the meeting, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso praised Serbia, but warned that more work remains to be done.
Despite general agreement on the candidacy of Serbia, some countries have expressed concerns, including Romania, which wants better protection for the rights of ethnic Romanians in Serbia.
Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia had done everything required. Serbia had hoped to become an EU candidate last December, but its efforts were blocked by Germany, who cited the continuing tensions between Belgrade and Kosovo.
(Tirana Times staff contributed to this report)
