BRUSSELS, TIRANA, Oct 14 – The European Commission urged Albania Wednesday to step up its reforms along with efforts to join the bloc in the future.
The EC published Wednesday the 2009 annual progress report on Albania and the other Balkan countries,
Albania is a potential candidate for EU membership. Albania applied for EU membership in April. The Commission stands ready to prepare an Opinion on this application once requested by the Council, said the report.
The visa facilitation and readmission agreements between Albania and the European Community continued to be implemented. In the framework of the visa liberalization dialogue, Albania has made good progress in the areas of justice, liberty and security, but has not yet met all the benchmarks set in the roadmap. Further efforts are required particularly in the area of personalization and distribution of biometric passports, border and migration management and the institutional framework to fight organized crime and corruption.
The parliamentary election of 28 June were assessed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR) as meeting most OSCE commitments whilst not fully realizing Albania’s potential to adhere to the highest standards for democratic elections. Tangible progress with regard to voter identification, legal framework and voting took place but the politicization of technical processes, such as the vote count, remains to be addressed in future elections.
However, due to the election, the political dialogue between political parties deteriorated and this delayed progress on key reform areas.
Brussels has appealed to the Albanian opposition Socialist Party to end its parliament boycott and hold the political fight at the parliament.
Little progress in public administration, bad marks for justice, corruption, good in macroeconomy
The report said that Albania has continued to make some progress in strengthening its government structures with a view to addressing SAA commitments, a key European Partnership priority. However, further strengthening of capacity, coordination and strategic planning for EU integration remains necessary.
Little progress can be reported in the area of public administration. The legal framework for public administration reform is in place but the lack of transparency and accountability in appointments remains a key European Partnership priority to be addressed.
Judicial reform in Albania remains at an early stage. Key pieces of legislation needed to complete the legal framework have not been adopted. The justice system continues to function poorly due to shortcomings in independence, transparency and efficiency, which are key European Partnership priorities to be addressed. A comprehensive strategy to improve the judicial system will be key to progress in this area.
Albania has continued to address corruption, a key European Partnership priority, it said. The legal framework and inter-agency structures are in place but implementation remains uneven. The commitment of the authorities to combat corruption has not been backed by consistent implementation of legislation. A more systematic and strategic approach is needed in fighting corruption by putting in place systems of accountability in public administration and the judiciary and by increasing transparency. A convincing track record of verdicts and sanctions in corruption cases remains to be established, particularly for high level corruption.
Corruption is prevalent in many areas and continues to be a particularly serious problem.
The report said that the macro-economic stability has been maintained, as the crisis has had only a limited impact on the country. Monetary policy reacted to the changes in the economic environment and ensured liquidity of the banking system, while contributing to low inflation and exchange rate stability. On the fiscal side however, while budget planning improved, significant budget imbalances remained an element of vulnerability.
Upon receiving the report from the EC Ambassador to Tirana, Helmuth Lohan, Prime Minister Sali Berisha assured Brussels that his government would take very seriously the criticism of the report and work on them. He considered the report as “objective” and as he had said a year earlier he would “sign”, that is, approve of everything it had written.
Berisha has made it clear that his second term as the country’s premier will focus on taking the country closer to the European Union. That was one of the reasons he based the coalition with the small leftist LSI party of Ilir Meta after the June 28 election.
Macedonia & Croatia ahead in integration, new trade pact with Kosovo
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s five-year bid to join the European Union was given a boost after EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn recommended that the 27-nation bloc open entry talks with the Balkan nation. He told reporters that the former Yugoslav republic now “sufficiently meets” the political and economic criteria for opening negotiations.
He added the recommendation showed the EU’s expansion policy in the Balkans remains on track despite increased misgivings among member states about the extra costs to get poorer countries in shape to join their club amid the global financial crisis.
“We have been able to keep the enlargement train on track and moving forward, even though not with the pace of a bullet train,” said Rehn.
The European Commission also proposed that Kosovo get visa-free travel for its citizens to EU countries and a new trade pact.
Rehn said the proposals “offer a new stage” in EU relations with Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia last year. He urged EU governments to back the plans, but some EU countries including, Spain and Greece, have yet to recognize Kosovo’s status, fearing it could encourage other separatist movements in Europe.
Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and FYROM were all chided in the reports, urged to fight harder against corruption and to improve minority rights, reforms that must be met for them to move closer to the EU.
Croatia, which has already started entry negotiations with the EU, is nearing the “final phase” Rehn said, but it too had to step up reforms if it was to close its talks by mid-2010. Negotiations were held up by EU member Slovenia earlier this year over a border dispute.
