Visa liberalization agreement depends on the EU embassies in Albania

TIRANA, Jan. 29 – In an interview with the Voice of America, Majlinda Bregu, Minister of Integration, has told the Voice of America about Albania’s efforts in getting the European Union (EU) to liberalize their visa regulations.
Bregu noted that the full implementation of that agreement depended on the consular sections of the respective EU nation embassies in Albania.
Additionally, Taulant Balla, the main opposition Socialist Party lawmaker, asked the government to being negotiating with the EU to ease the visa regulations noting that no Albanian citizens have benefited yet from the agreement on the visa liberalization with the EU, which entered into force on 1 January 2008.
Bregu also said there exists an ongoing atmosphere of cooperation among the country’s political forces, in anticipation to Albania’s NATO accession.
She additionally said that the reforms emerging as a result of this process of collaboration were intrinsically important for the Albanian people, but also for Albania’s integration into the EU.
Bregu was visiting New York as part of the One UN Pilot Initiative undertaken by the Government of Albania in cooperation with various United Nations agencies.
Albania, the only one country in Europe to be selected, along with seven other countries, requested to participate in the testing of a worldwide program of UN reforms, which seeks to avoid fragmentation and duplication of development efforts.