Visa-free travel gets entangled in political fight

TIRANA, June 8 – The European Commission has formally asked EU member countries to give the go-ahead to lift the visa-free regime for Albania and Bosnia, which were not included with the other three Balkan countries last year
The European Parliament should vote on the matter (which means all 27 member countries should agree) and then the interior ministers of the EU’s Council take the final decision. That is likely by November, which means in December Albanians may be free to travel to Europe without asking for a visa first.
But the issue has turned into a very political contest in the country.
Tirana is doing a good job explaining to the population that the visa-free regime does not mean Albanians may go and live wherever they want. They may stay 90 days in six months and then they should come back, or ask for authorization if they get a job or need to follow studies.
That is a good thing which Brussels also asked but Albania is doing more than that, and now a bad thing: discussing the issue at its daily political agenda and very likely harming the process which still needs some months and some key decisions.
Slovenia urged fellow EU member states on Thursday not to delay the process of visa liberalization for Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina for the sake of keeping the privilege of decision-making.
Slovenian lawmaker Tanja Fayon is in charge to take care of the process for Albania and Bosnia. She said it openly last week that the decision will be based on the reforms, on the technicalities but the decision-makers are political ones and that means they may take a political decision.
That means that the Albanian political squabbling may have its negative impact on that decision.
Albanian politics is involved in a contest whether the June 28 elections were fair, manipulated and had transparency or not. The opposition has made all its efforts, including a hunger strike and protests, while the government says what they are asking (partial recount) is anti-constitutional.
For the moment the two main political forces _ governing Democratic party of Sali Berisha and main opposition Socialist party of Edi Rama _ have not found any compromise. They have time until June 22 and then the European Parliament may turn down a resolution on the country and that visa process. The parliament already passed it for Bosnia last week. That would be a very negative step in the process.
Meanwhile Interior Minister Lulzim Basha insists that the visa liberalization process is totally a technical one and cannot be affected from the political deadlock in the country. He also assured that the European counterparts had assured him that by the end of the year Albanians will be free to travel to Europe