Agenda at home to fully modernize Albanian state and society will determine the country’s future integration path
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
As Albania received good news that, in principle, it should finally get official candidate status for European Union membership later this year, the first visit of Albania’s new prime minister to Brussels was positive for a several reasons. The meetings with every top official of the European Union are strategic in addition to being symbolic.
The determination to grant Albania candidate status is now only a few months away at most, so there is not enough time to produce enough new results on the part of the new government on the list of the priorities that Brussels and member have presented to Albania as a condition for support of candidate status. The new government can only think ahead and start working now on the priorities Albania will need to meet for the next step in the integration process נopening accession negotiations.
However, these past few months, have provided a clear signal that Albania has undertaken concrete steps in the right direction, even though results might not be immediate. There has been more consensus and cooperation between political actors, and the country passed the elections test with flying colors.
Now, Albania needs to focus and apply a critical approach to European integration. Such approach is more important in Albania than elsewhere, because though Albanians overwhelmingly support EU membership, there is still not a clear understanding on what it actually means.
This critical approach should consist of an agenda that has to do with the rule of law and law enforcement, fight against corruption, the proper functioning of the justice system, strengthening public order and the functioning of all institutions based on constitutional law. There also needs to be hard work to build an internal political consensus on the integration agenda.
If one evaluates the integration agenda by achievements in the issues mentioned above, then there remains a lot of work to be done.
At the end of the day, these modernizing efforts for the Albanian state and Albanian society are not a different agenda from that of EU integration – they are the in fact the country’s real European agenda. That’s what it takes to advance the country’s EU bid.
Some of the messages the new government has sent are very encouraging. It appears it is willing to build consensus with the opposition notwithstanding the fact that it has a strong majority and enough votes to push for reforms.
Likewise, the prime minister’s statements that the government will not use state funding and institutions against the oppositions are also very positive. This is how a European country should work.
Another important aspect of the new government’s work will be the regional and foreign policies. The new prime minister’s promise that the government should not use regional and foreign policies for short-term political domestic interests are also very important.
Now we will need to see how these promises are actually implemented. But one thing is certain – Albanians remain committed to a European future, and the EU remains committed to Albania. The only thing that remains a variable at this point is how long the path will take. The new prime minister says he wants it to be within the next decade, which is not an over-optimistic target. But the EU simply refuses to set up any predictions.
But the date itself won’t be as important as in what shape Albania gets to EU membership. It needs cross that finish line with modern European society and strong democratic state in place. Reforms and work is needed to do so. There is no time to waste. It starts today.
