Critical approach needed to preparing the country for EU membership. This is a process that must happen here, not in Brussels.
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
Albania has missed the third chance in a row to gain candidate status for membership in the European Union, since the country’s government officially applied in 2009. The negative answer was widely expected as political conflict has stalled reforms, and the EU wants to see some improvements in fighting corruption and guarantees on proper elections before it takes Tirana’s bid any further.
Much of the the debate so far has involved around technical issues and steps Albania must take to move closer to its EU membership goals, but the problems run deeper.
Albanians must admit that, even though two decades have passed since the fall of the communist regime, there are still problems with the acceptance of the current political system. And the one component that is not negotiable in this system is holding free and fair elections that are accepted by all the parties in the race. As we have seen after every election in Albania — parliamentary or local, as was the case in 2009 — there is a lot of conflict and political disagreements over the results. Failure to accept the results has harmed the system and the country’s ability to move forward in its European integration.
It hard to think of Albania as an EU candidate for membership when the country’s parliament did not function for three years, boycotted by the opposition as part of not accepting the result of the elections. It is also hard to think of Albania getting the candidate status when the government and the opposition are already having disputes about the next parliamentary elections which are still six months away.
It is very important to have a critical approach to preparing the country for EU membership. This is a process that must happen here, and does not depend on Brussels. As such, the EU Commission should also adopt a new critical critical approach. Approving the laws in parliament is only part of the work, as there is little value if the laws are on the books but are not implemented.
Let’s look at something as basic as the collective breaking of the law by Albanian citizens smoking in places where smoking is clearly banned by law and signage. The law is on the books, but the degree of implementation is unfortunately very low.
Albanians overwhelmingly support membership in the European Union (86.7 percent according to the latest study by the Albanian Institute for International Studies), but the data goes in conflict with the collective willingness to violate laws.
As such, preparing the country for EU membership means that all must be equal before the laws, regardless of the office or position in society one holds. Yet this is not the case in Albania.
Albanians are clearly unhappy about their stalled EU bid. And they ought to be. In addition to being a marker on the road to full EU membership, the candidate status would also entitle Albania to more EU funding. But getting out the sinking sands in which the country is currently stuck will require a lot of work at home, not a magical wand in Brussels. Let’s start by putting away the ashtrays.
