Prague claims major effort made towards EU enlargement during Czech EU Presidency

TIRANA, June 01 – The Czech Presidency of the European Union, during the first half of this year, tried to push for as much progress as possible in the field of EU enlargement. Another priority interest of the Czech Presidency was to bring other Western Balkan countries closer to EU membership.
Albania has made good progress implementing reforms. Since the 1st of April the Stabilization and Association Agreement has been in full implementation, thus making it possible for the government to make an attempt to start the accession negotiations with the EU.
In the case of Albania, taking into account all the progress made so far, the organization and successful completion with high standards of the upcoming elections on the 28th of June, could bring further rewards. It may be possible to enter year 2010 with Albanian citizens having the chance of traveling visa free to other European countries.