Tirana set to apply for EU candidate status

TIRANA, March 24 – It is now more than clear that Tirana will apply for the candidate status with the European Union until the end of June, during the Czech rotating presidency.
That has been repeatedly made clear by many officials and especially Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who also last week while at a seminar in Berlin, Germany said that Tirana would apply.
That was also mentioned during Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha’s talks with a European Parliamentary delegation headed by Doris Pack.
Tirana considers the six months of the Czech Presidency of the EU as the most suitable for Albania to apply for member country of the EU.
Tirana also says that applying for the European Union membership and the full liberalization of visas for citizens are absolute priorities of the Albanian government and its foreign policy.
Holding free and fair elections in line with international standards have never been seen in post-communist Albania. The international community and Europe have made it clear that the June 28 elections will test the ex-communist Balkan nation’s readiness to join the European Union.
It was first the opposition which last year insisted the government should make the candidate status application. Later the government insisted they would make it, claiming the originality of the request for that.
But the year was over and the world has been harshly affected by a global financial crisis.
That has given its effects in the European Union and the relations between its old and more potential member countries, like the big powers, Germany, France, UK, and the smaller countries in the bloc that have recently joined it. Coping with the crisis turns into a big issue among them and there have been clear voices any enlargement should be indefinitely postponed when referring to the western Balkan countries (probably not Croatia that is much ahead in the integration process).
On the other side Brussels insists that it is open to newcomers. Fixing no timing for that means many years, why not decades.
Tirana, its politicians of different sides have often hinted Albania will become an EU member country by 2014-2015 though it is much behind in the requirements for a member country.
What the government is now doing seems very clearly it is a political tool that should serve the governing coalition for the June 28 parliamentary elections.
If they send the request to start talks on the candidate status before the end of June that will be shown as an achievement from the government. But for sure the process of completing those talks on a candidate status may normally and formally require at least 18 months.
Talking and debating on such a request is only a loss of time for the people.